Stake the Heart
by StakeTheHeart
Summary: Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl have quickly become the best heroes around but when they discover a new danger threatening mankind to extinction, will they be up to a completely new challenge in this ever changing world?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey again people. Currently I'm trying to kick this weird obsession I have with Kick-Ass, Let Me In, and anything vampires for some time now but it's proving difficult. During that process this story wouldn't be ignored. I thought of it one day when I was listening to Vampires Will Never Hurt You by My Chemical Romance. I'm hoping this will be my last fic on any of those subjects for my sake but there is a chance it won't be. Already I'm getting another idea as I write this! Anyways, here is the first chapter. I'm going to try and get each one out every day or every other day so I can be done with it. I'll have to try and give my self some other creative writting source besides this. Hope you like it. Any types of reviews are welcome whether you hate it or like it but please R&R. Thanks! Oh, and yes, I realize the title mirrors my name. I did that on purpose. **

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><p>We ran down the street in pursuit of a robber. We had caught him stealing from the bank and chased him a few blocks. He stumbled a lot so I knew he was getting tired. We had him for sure. Dave pushed into a burst of speed, catching up to the guy. He pulled out his baton and cracked the loser over the head. He flew forward from the momentum and crashed straight into the pavement.<p>

I skidded to a halt with a grin. Dave bent to pick up the bag of money and I walked over to tie the guy to a nearby lamp post. I flipped out the emergency phone we used only on patrol and told the police where to find this newest lowlife we caught. When I returned the phone back to my belt I turned to Dave.

"So was that the last one? Did you want to call it a night?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I have work tomorrow and you have school," he reminded me.

"It's only a month left and it's my last year. There isn't anything really important going on," I grumbled. He shrugged.

"Still, you need your sleep," he replied. I turned away and began walking in the direction of the safe house. I hated when he treated me like I was still twelve. We've been doing this hero business together for six years now. Ever since we met when he first started, daddy died, and we killed Frank, and a year later Chris, D'Amico. He got **a lot** better with my training and we quickly became a force to be reckoned with. Any heroes that sprung up when Kick-Ass did didn't hesitate to quit or were just killed. Dave and I were the last ones now.

"Mindy, I'm sorry," he whispered hesitantly. I heard his honesty and knew he meant it because he addressed me by my name. I sighed.

"It's fine. Let's just get to headquarters," I replied with a small smile. He returned it and we walked on in silence. When we got back, we changed out of our suits. As I returned mine to its case I stopped to study it. After all these years I basically kept my original design except once I grew I had to make a bigger suit that would fit. The old one was barely holding together anyway. Now, it was black to better hide at night. I changed my belt to yellow and added Kevlar to my suit. My wig was still purple and I still had the same mask. I ditched the skirt though. I felt that it resembled a kid. I guess I basically looked like Big Daddy; just a smaller, girl version. I felt proud to look like him.

"Admiring it again?" Dave asked over my shoulder. My only answer was a silent nod. I shut the case, stood, and turned to him.

"Yeah, I was. You have a problem with it?" I asked challengingly. He laughed, knowing I was joking with him. I could tell he was relieved that I wasn't going to lapse into brooding.

"Yes, I do have a problem with that. What are you going to do now?" he responded, taking a few steps forward to stand right in front of me. I knew I was pretty short when we first met but I grew in the following years while he didn't. Now my eyes were level with his nose. I smirked and stared at him defiantly.

"This is coming from someone who hasn't changed their look in years. Well, what about another sparring match?" I asked.

"Ok," he complied. Right when the words left his mouth I already had his arm behind his back. I swiped his legs out from under him and threw him to the ground. I sat on his stomach and held him down. He looked surprised but then he grinned.

"I win," I stated. He pushed me over and tried to hold me down but I managed to get out of his grasp and pin him down again.

"I win again," I said.

"Ok fine, you win," he responded. I laughed and let him up. He jumped at me and pinned me down.

"How did I know you were going to do that?" I asked.

"You know me too well," he replied, leaning closer. I smiled and met his lips halfway. His grip loosened on me and then he pulled away. Fighting and Dave were my two favorite things in the world. I don't think I could live without either of them. Since I met Dave I had a thing for him. I denied it for three years before I realized my feelings for him wouldn't go away. I kissed him on a rooftop when we were out on patrol and was excruciatingly embarrassed. I figured I should give it a shot since Katie dumped him a year before so I was surprised when he returned my feelings. From then on we've been together. I realized our feelings could easily be a weakness when fighting but it could also make it worth fighting for.

"Dave, if you hadn't met me, what do you see yourself doing?" I asked. He hummed in thought and rested next to me on his side. He held himself up on his elbow.

"Probably still working but bored as hell. Life is way too exciting this way," he replied.

"Yeah, I don't know what I would do besides this," I said, random occupations running through my head.

"Honestly, I can't see you doing anything else," he said.

"I wouldn't** want** to do anything else," I corrected him. We lied on the floor a while longer, talking about how much time had passed before we left to head home. We've been living together for a little while now. Marcus died not too long ago trying to apprehend an angry drunk driver. After the crash, the driver, scared to be put in jail, jumped from his car with a gun and started firing. Marcus was hit. He was written up as DOA. I cried for days but Dave was there for me. Just goes to show that people were complete jack asses. I have to admit, it gave me fighting fuel for days though. I pushed the unwanted topic to the back of my mind. I went straight to bed when we got home. Dave followed suit and together we went to sleep.

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><p>The next morning we got up early. Dave dropped me off at school before driving off to work. I dragged myself through school, only looking forward to getting out and going on patrol at night. Dave picked me up and we swung by a fast food place before going home. We ate, relaxed, watched a movie, tidied up the house, and then left to the safe house. We suited up and began our patrol. Barely anything happened besides a mugger beating someone up in an alley. We broke that up pretty fast. We spent the whole night searching and came up empty. Then we sat on the roof where we had shared our first kiss. We liked to hang out there some nights. I sighed in irritation.<p>

"So, what the fuck do we do now? I came out here looking for a fight and no one is out!" I exclaimed. Dave opened his mouth to reply but whatever he was going to say was cut off by a scream. I jumped to my feet and ran to the edge of the roof. The shadow of a figure darted out of an alley across the street.

"Damn, we need to get over there," I said as I sprinted to the fire escape. Dave ran to catch up. I jumped off the ladder a few feet up and landed in a roll. I climbed to my feet and ran to the alley. I skidded to a stop when I got there. Dave almost ran into me. He caught sight of what I was staring at and gasped. A bloody, mangled, body was spread out next to a dumpster. The neck was missing a huge chunk like it was torn out. I heard Dave gag behind me. I stepped forward to get a better look.

"The wound isn't even dripping blood. That's odd. There isn't nearly enough blood covering the ground to suggest the body bled out," I muttered. Dave gave me a look.

"What, you don't think I haven't seen a body bleed out?" I asked.

"No, you probably have," he said, shaking his head.

"Let's go. We can't be found here," I stated, tugging on his arm as I passed him. Back at the safe house we sat in silence, wondering what we had witnessed.

"I haven't seen anyone murdered in that way," I said suddenly.

"That worries me. You've seen almost everything," Dave responded. I nodded thoughtfully.

"What worries me is the fact that it looked like the victim was attacked by some kind of animal. Not anything a human is capable of with a weapon," I said. Dave quickly dropped the conversation in favor of what to eat. We decided on dinner at home and after, I turned on the news. I sat, watching avidly, hoping something would come up about the murder. I was just about to give up when the subject was breached. They reported that the body was examined but they didn't know how the victim was murdered.

"That's bull shit. There were teeth marks on that body," I grumbled.

"What?" Dave asked as he stepped into the room.

"They say they don't know how the guy was killed. They're probably trying to hide any evidence that may upset the public. I think its bull shit," I repeated. He sat next to me heavily, making me bounce. I threw my hand out in an attempt to keep myself from being launched off the couch. I glared at him.

"What?" he said with a clueless expression. I shook my head and sighed.

"I'm going to bed. Are you coming?" I asked him over my shoulder. I was already walking out.

"Yeah, wait for me," he replied, turning off the TV, getting up, and following me out. I made myself comfortable in Dave's arms and then turned my thoughts back to the victim. I kept getting the oddest feeling. I hope we didn't find anything like that again in the future.


	2. Chapter 2

**I think I want to try my hand at an end of the world scenario. Whether it turns out good or not I'm not really worried about. Doing these fics have been nothing but relaxing and fun as well as a chance to get away from busy work. So, here is the next chapter.**

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><p>It's been six months and, contrary to what I hoped wouldn't happen, the bodies haven't stopped piling up. Since that first body turned up, more followed. People began to fall into a panic, criminals disappeared, numbers dwindled, but the weirdest part was the bodies that vanished. They were sent into labs to be examined but then went missing minutes later. The panic rose even higher. All this didn't start picking up until after my graduation. Dave and I had more time to go out on patrols morning, noon, and night once he took a vacation from work. We had to find out what was going on. We weren't finding shit on the streets so we took a trip to the hospital.<p>

"What can you tell us about the bodies that come in here?" Dave asked with full authority. He may be a geek but he radiated business when he wanted to.

"We take them in to be preserved and whenever we get a call we send them out to be examined. Sometimes they disappear before we send them and other times we get a call that they didn't get them at all. Not to mention the ones that disappear **after** being examined. Usually when that happens there seems to be some type of damage to the labs and more who end up dead. They still don't know what's going on. Nobody does," the doctor answered nervously. He looked tired, rumpled, and scared. His eyes were wild behind thin glasses. Everyone was on edge. I turned to Dave and he shrugged.

"Sir-" I began, but suddenly a loud bang echoed through the hospital. Everyone jumped in fright. The wall down the hall crumbled and a man came barreling through. I pulled out my gun automatically and Dave pulled out his knife. He still didn't like using guns. The only time he ever held one was when he helped me clean them and the one time he used one to save me from being shot. So I taught him how to use knives instead. Now, I didn't think it would help him. I leveled my gun and fired. The man was thrown on his back, the bullet flying clean through his heart.

"There, problem solved," I stated. The doctor looked at me like I was crazy. He was crouched by the service desk and shaking with fright.

"Hit-Girl, I don't think he's down yet," Kick-Ass said with a wavering voice. I turned back to see the man climb to his feet. I stopped myself from reacting when I got a good look at him. He was pale with black eyes and sharp fucking fangs bared in our direction. His nails looked longer and pointier than when we first saw him. He roared in anger and darted right for me. I threw myself to the side, taking Dave with me. An unfortunate nurse behind us was tackled instead. She shrieked when it collided with her.

"What the hell is going on?" Kick-Ass exclaimed. We watched as the man tore ravenously into the woman's neck.

"I don't believe this…" I whispered. I jumped to my feet and grabbed my bow staff. I flipped it in the direction of the man-turned-monster and ran forward intent on doing damage.

"Hit-Girl, wait!" Kick-Ass screamed. I ignored him and brought my staff flashing down. I easily cut the arm off the monster and it howled in pain. It dropped the unmoving and pale nurse to turn and level its eyes on me. I glared, ready for a fight. It pounced at me and I deflected its claw. I swung and missed. It counterattacked quickly and I rolled out of the way. Kick-Ass ran up and threw his knife at its neck. It struck right on target but the monster just pulled it out and tossed it aside.

"Fuck, now what do we do?" he asked me. I grunted and shifted forward, swinging my staff as fast as I could. The monster either dodged or deflected my advances. When I did get in a hit it didn't even flinch. Kick-Ass tried to help but the monster got a hold of him and tossed him over the service desk with ease. I ran in to get close but its fists found my stomach. I doubled over but forced myself to keep going. I screamed in frustration and let loose a barrage of swings ending with decapitation. The body fell over motionless and the head rolled away. I let out my breath and looked around. Everyone had already fled during the fight.

"Hey, are you ok?" I called painfully to Dave. I looked over the desk to see him pulling himself up.

"What the fuck was that?" he asked me with a cough.

"I don't know but I refuse to believe it was supernatural shit," I replied. I pressed a hand to the spot where I knew a bruise the size of that fucker's fist was slowly forming. Dave glanced over my shoulder.

"Hey, where did the nurse go?" he questioned. My eyes widened when I spotted her over Dave's shoulder. I climbed swiftly onto the desk, slid over it, and landed on my feet next to Dave. I whipped out my staff and swung. The nurse didn't stand a chance. Her head tumbled from her shoulders and the body crumpled.

"That seems effective," he commented grimly. I nodded.

"Let's get out of here," I commanded, fighting to keep my voice from shaking. Things were not looking good. I figured this whole decline of humanity was due to some sort of disease being spread that made animals kill people by making them crazy. I hoped it was perfectly explainable by science but things weren't that easy. Dave and I returned to headquarters, barring the doors and windows when we got there.

"We can't leave until morning," I decided as I pulled off my wig and mask. I shook out my blonde hair and began unzipping the suit.

"You don't seriously think vampires were the problem this whole time, do you?" Dave questioned, catching on to my train of thought. I pulled off my gloves and threw them down furiously.

"What else could it possibly be? Tell me what we saw out there was fucking fake!" I demanded. He froze before looking away. I sighed and paced back and forth.

"Dave, that thing, whatever it was, left the same mark as all those victims we saw before. This isn't a coincidence. I hate to say it but, we have our work cut out for us," I pointed out. He looked at me with wide eyes and pulled off his mask.

"We aren't going to try and stop them are we?" he asked me with terrified disbelief. His voice even shot up an octave like it did when he was anxious. I only nodded.

"It's our duty to protect the people of this city," I replied seriously.

"But what if it's too late? What if this spread beyond our city? What then?" he retorted.

"Then all we can do is survive," I responded gravely. He looked lost for a moment before letting his mask fall. He reached out to me with a pleading expression. I stepped forward and let him hug me.

"We'll get through this ok? We know how to kill a vampire right? Stake to the heart and all that shit, but maybe we will have a better chance once we test them all out," I suggested.

"I don't like how this is looking. I'm an average hero not Van Helsing and you're…a more than average hero, but not Buffy. We could easily be overpowered and killed, or worse; turned into them. For all we know they're crazed animals who can't remember who they were. Even loved ones could be infected and we would have to kill them too; just to save them from themselves," he said with worry.

"They may be stronger and faster than the douches we've fought before but I think we can still do it. It's better than hiding and waiting to die," I replied. He nodded reluctantly.

"The world as we know it has changed Dave and we are in the middle of it. There is no stopping it as far as we know. I think we should put survival at the top of the list and keep as many people safe from being infected," I proposed.

"Ok, we can do this Mindy; just me and you. We're the world's best heroes after all right?" he said with a small smile. I smirked.

"We are," I agreed. We went to sleep in each other's arms, feeling vulnerable without the touch of the other. Morning came like always but the sudden lack of people out and about gave us an idea about how much of us survived so far. Our plan for survival went on for days. That turned into weeks which turned into months which turned into years. We stayed at home for the most part but when things got risky we left to the safe house. In time, that wasn't a safe enough shelter so we abandoned that too in favor of staying on the move. As we camped out, we started experimenting with different forms of attacks on any vampire stupid enough to cross us. Besides death by the sun; stakes, fire, and beheading were the only other ways to kill them, but beheading was by far the easiest. Not all of them were mindless animals.

We came across some who could still talk and had some control. On one particular day when we traveled to find Dave's dad, we ran into our friends; except they weren't our friends anymore. They were infected and ready to kill. I took care of them on my own with only some guilt but Dave couldn't do it. It wasn't any easier when we made it to Mr. Lizewski's house only to find him dead. The vampires had already got to him. Dave stood stunned in the doorway of the room we had found him in. I asked him what was the matter and he didn't answer so I nudged him aside to walk in. Poor Dave finally snapped out of it when I moved him and he ran sick from the room. Our presence attracted a group of vampires who were still hiding out in the house so Dave never got a chance to bury him or have time to process it.

We barely escaped. Days after our discovery, he was silent and wouldn't talk to me. He just continued to fight. Of course he finally pulled out of his funk just in time for a handful of humans to find us. We easily became the only source of protection for them. They survived long enough on their own but without proper fighting skills they couldn't do much so they were relieved to see us. When the city began to fall around us, we took shelter out on a large cruise ship big enough to fit all of us and a bit more if we happened to find them. It was a mini community with people of all ages. Dave and I scouted on the mainland for any supplies or food but we mainly stayed out in the water most of the time. Sometimes volunteers would help but there were few. Radio channels from other surviving groups reported that the whole US was in shambles. Hope was lost among some but Dave and I fought on. The need to survive was the only thing on our minds. We could only continue the fight, hope to find a cure, or search for some other way to stop this plague of death.


	3. Chapter 3

**The other chapter was so late in the day that I'm putting up another one so I don't forget today, it will already be done. Here it is.**

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><p>I crept through a store, careful not to make a sound. It was the first time Dave and I went on a mission alone. We had perfected the skill of killing vampires after years of practice. Surprisingly, no one knows who we really were. Our real identities were lost with our old lives. We never let them see our faces. Despite protecting the lives of a hundred people aboard a ship, we tried not to make friends.<p>

We had people we talked to or interacted with but no one close. We couldn't stand the loss of people close to us anymore. A crash to my right made me turn with my staff already raised. I had learned a long time ago that guns, my favorite weapon of choice, were now useless. A vampire launched through a shelf to tackle me to the floor. Unfortunately, it impaled itself on my blade so it couldn't reach me. I threw it off and got to my feet ready to kill.

"You know you're dead meat human," it hissed, eyeing me hungrily.

"Oh, a talker; I haven't encountered one of you annoying fucks for a few days," I responded.

It smiled cruelly, showing off its gleaming fangs. My eyes locked on to them and I shuddered. I had many close calls. I was almost bitten more than once and scars of all shapes and sizes marred my skin from countless close encounters. Dave wore just as many. I pointed my staff at it and glared.

"I'll kill you monster," I warned assuredly. It sneered and then laughed.

"We'll see," it snarled. The eyes turned black and its nails grew into claws. We ran forward at the same time. It jumped and I slid under. When it landed, I swung out. It caught my staff and kicked my side. I grunted and pulled away. I swiped at the feet and it jumped. It sprang at me again right after landing. I swung and jumped out of the way when I missed. I tried once more but only succeeded in cutting off a leg. It fell and rolled, unable to stand up.

"Are you going to kill me now Hit-Girl?" it mocked as it glared up at me. I was aware that I had somewhat of a reputation with these monsters. Dave was also known among them. I walked silently up to it, refusing to answer. I lifted my blade and swung down, cleanly cutting off the head. What poor existences these things had.

They were once people after all. I pulled my thoughts away and returned to my search. When I had as much supplies as I could carry in the bag I had, I headed back to the drop off point by the docks. There I found Samuel, or Sammy, as we liked to call him. I only ever called him Sam when I was serious or in a bad mood. He was in charge of transporting the goods back to the ship so he also overlooked what came in and out. He sometimes helped during missions.

"Hey you, any trouble with the vamps?" he asked with a small smile when I was in hearing range.

"Just one," I answered.

"Guilt trip?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow and a knowing look. I sighed and nodded.

"They're monsters HG not people. Demons if anything," he assured me as I handed him the goods. I smiled at the nickname people sometimes referred to me by.

"I know Sammy. It's just…hard," I replied lamely.

"After all these years?" he questioned.

"It's only been three years Sam," I replied. He shrugged.

"Take these to the ship and then get back here in an hour. I still have one more thing to do," I told him. He nodded and turned to board his small boat with the goods. I pulled out the emergency hand held radio and called up Dave.

"Hello?" he answered the second time I called to him.

"Hey Kick-Ass what's up?" I said playfully. The highlight of my day was seeing or talking to Dave. He chuckled.

"I'm fine, are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, as ok as anyone can be at this point," I answered.

"I'm at the other drop off zone ready to board the ship. Where are you?" he said.

"I have to take care of something. I'll be back in an hour," I replied. He sighed and I could imagine the look he probably wore.

"You don't usually keep things from me. What are you planning?" he whispered with tension.

"I'll be fine, don't worry. This is just something I need to do," I said simply. He sighed in defeat, knowing I wouldn't tell him.

"Be careful okay? I love you," he stated softly.

"I love you too," I said. I released the button and returned the radio to my belt. I scanned the area before running in the direction of the old cemetery. I usually stopped by the cemetery on my way to the area I needed to go but I was always in a hurry and couldn't stay long. I hoped now I could take my time. I knew it was dangerous to be in such an open place but I still went there once in a while regardless of what anyone said about it.

I reached the cemetery and stopped to stand in front of the old and worn headstone of Damon Macready. I rested my hands on the stone and bowed my head. I felt so worn out. Our goal of finding and killing the one who started this epidemic was fast becoming impossible. A vampire we caught earlier last week had told us that if the master or king of all vampires, Etrigan, was killed then everyone would be cured. We still never found him nor heard where in this hellhole he could be. I sighed heavily.

"I don't know what to do anymore daddy. I wish you were here," I whispered.

"Visiting your father again child?" A fluid voice floated to me. I spun around with a knife in my hand. A man stood in front of me. He had a handsome, young, face with jet black hair. His bangs hung in his eyes but the rest of it was cut short. He held confidence in his gray penetrating eyes and he wore a pleasant smile on his face.

"Don't call me that! What do you want?" I sneered angrily. His smile grew.

"I've been looking for you for some time now. You are always on the move. Pretty fast for a mere mortal," he commented admirably.

"So you know me, so what. Who do I have the honor of talking to?" I mocked hatefully.

"Etrigan," he replied with a small bow of his head. My eyes widened and my guard shot up.

"Shit! I could never find you and you were looking for **me** all this time? You know, I wanted to find and destroy you," I told him.

"I'm aware of that," he replied amiably.

"Then what do you want with me?" I demanded. His easy going words were pissing me off.

"You are a very skilled young woman are you not? I admire your fighting abilities and your strong sense of survival," he explained as he began circling me. I tensed and never let him see my back. My eyes were always trained on him.

"Even now you regard me with guarded defenses. I could use someone like you," he said with a pleasant tone of voice. His circling was slowly closing in.

"I'd never help you," I spat.

"You don't have a choice," he replied. I swung out at him as fast as I could. He sidestepped easily.

"You've made a terrible mistake," he said in a voice leaking with anger. He attacked so quick I was slow to react. He backhanded me hard enough that I flew to the ground. My knife was lost in the bushes so I pushed myself to my feet and blocked his tearing claws with my staff. He swiped it out of my hand and hit me again. His foot made contact with my face and my vision blurred.

I groaned and forced myself to my feet anyways. I stumbled but was ready when he came at me again. I swiftly pulled another knife on him when he got close enough. It stabbed deep into his stomach. I yanked hard, trying to cut him open but he caught my arm. His grip tightened just enough to make me let go of the knife.

"You bastard, I would rather die than serve you!" I yelled. I pulled at his hand, trying to make him let go. I knew it was futile. He pulled out the knife and dropped it. Then he dragged me closer. I dug my heels into the ground in an attempt to stop him.

"I will enjoy making you mine Mindy Macready. I **will** have you," he whispered to me. He smirked and his fangs showed. His eyes locked with mine before flicking down to my lips. He leaned in and I swung at him with my free hand. He caught it effortlessly and tugged me forward. Right when his lips touched mine I felt paralyzed. He kissed me with force when I wouldn't respond. I refused to give him pleasure.

"I will break you to get what I want," he hissed. His eyes turned black like a shark's and he growled. He twisted my arm and I cried out. His lips found mine again and he forced his tongue into my mouth. His grip tightened and I could feel his nails dig into my skin. His fang pricked my lip and he licked the blood that spilled before pulling away. Tears stung my eyes but I refused to let them fall. I felt beyond fucking violated. I wanted to kill him at that very moment.

"There, how was that?" he crooned.

"Fuck you," I replied and spit at him. My blood and spit splattered across his pale face. He bared his teeth and lunged for my throat but at the last minute he screamed and threw me to the ground. I looked up in time to see him grab Dave by the front of his suit. He hauled him off his feet and threw him at a statue. Dave crashed into it and it crumbled. All I could see was his leg hanging over the rubble. Etrigan turned back to me with rage all over his features.

"I'll be back for you," he snarled. He stood back and wide, black, wings burst from his back. He crouched and then shot into the air, disappearing into the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Another chapter down. I've realized that music is starting to give me multiple fic ideas on all subjects. Now I understand why there are song fics (which aren't my thing). So instead I go ahead and write the story, exclude the song, and have people listen to it on their own. That way they can find connections on their own. I guess I'm rambling now so here's the next chapter!**

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><p>I stayed where I was on the ground before picking myself up and running to Dave. I was no worse for wear except for a sore arm, maybe a bruise on my face, and a bleeding lip. I pushed some rubble off of Dave and kneeled next to him.<p>

"Dave? Dave can you hear me?" I called to him. I shook his shoulder gently. His eyes cracked open slowly.

"Are you ok?" he croaked out. I nodded and smiled sadly. I put my hand on his cheek and he reached out to softly brush my lip. It took me a while to realize he was wiping the blood off.

"Did he hurt you?" he questioned.

"Just a little," I replied, turning away. Dave reached out and made me look at him again.

"It will be alright ok?" he told me. I nodded, knowing he didn't mean my injuries but the slight contact with a vampire's teeth. I helped him to his feet and together we walked back to the docks. Sammy was sent to wait for us there. We hopped on and returned to the ship for a well-deserved sleep. The whole way over I had to keep reassuring Dave that I was ok and worry about **him** at the same time. I checked him for injuries when we got back. He had some bruises on his back but he was ok. I patiently waited for him to clean off my face. We were quiet as we tended to each other.

"So, why did he kiss you?" he asked suddenly. I tensed and averted my eyes.

"He was searching for me. Except, unlike the reason I have for finding him, he was looking for me to…" I stopped, unable to continue.

"To what?" Dave pushed. I looked him in the eye and continued.

"To change me," I finished with a shudder. Dave's expression instantly darkened and he frowned.

"He won't get you," he stated. He brushed back my hair and let his hand run down my face to my chin to tip my head back. His kiss was soft and gentle compared to what I had to endure with Etrigan. We broke apart for air and I hugged him close.

"Stay with me any time we go out. I'm not sure when he will come back for me," I said hesitantly. He pulled back to smile at me.

"I can be your knight and shining armor now?" he asked. I frowned.

"Hey, don't push it," I warned him. He laughed.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not used to you asking for help or protection against bad guys," he said with hidden excitement.

"I know, but don't get used to it," I mumbled. He kissed my cheek and spread out on the bed. I followed his example. We both drifted off to sleep not too long later.

The morning sun woke me up and I groaned. I couldn't find the blanket so I grabbed Dave's arm and put it over my eyes. He said something in his sleep but didn't do anything else. I drifted off to sleep again and was shaken awake some time later.

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><p>"Get up sleepy head," Dave called to me. I rolled over and opened my eyes to see Dave leaning over me.<p>

"We have to help out up on deck remember?" he reminded me. I sighed and nodded. We helped out on the ship when we weren't out on missions. To keep our two identities separated, we entered our room differently than when we exited, careful not to get them confused. We used the back way no one knew about when we were suited up and the known way when we weren't.

I threw on an old shirt and jeans and Dave did the same. We joined the others and the day dragged on. There was things to clean, maintain, and fix all the time. While Dave went to talk to the captain about making a new route I took a nap. Dave came back to the room by the time I woke up. We stretched out and exercised before going out. Sam dropped us off and we started our scouting as always.

"He won't come looking for you again, will he?" Dave asked suddenly. His hand found mine and gripped it. I squeezed back.

"I hope not. That fucker better not touch me again," I said as I looked around. Dave nodded.

"Let's check out that store down the street. Sammy told me they used to sell knives and stuff there," Dave suggested.

"Ok, let's head over there," I replied. I unstrapped my machete from my belt as I stepped toward the shattered glass of the store window. The glass cracked under our boots as we entered. We stayed together, picking out things we thought would help. Dave tapped my shoulder and I turned. He pointed ahead and I followed his finger to a case filled with things from pocket knives to switch blades. We walked forward and almost instantly we were surrounded.

"What the fuck?" I exclaimed. A platinum blonde vampire with pointed features stepped forward with a smirk.

"Got you," he hissed. The four other vampires laughed. I raised the machete and Kick-Ass held two blades.

"You up for this?" I asked Kick-Ass.

"Hell yeah," he replied positively.

"Quiet humans and don't put up a fight. Our Lord has ordered us to bring you in alive," the blonde vampire addressed me.

"I won't let you take her," Kick-Ass said, stepping forward. The blonde vampire grinned.

"Get her," he commanded to the others. He ran at Kick-Ass and the others came for me. I dodged two, ducked a swipe from another, and swung at the last one, cutting off the head. A claw tore into my cape but missed my back. My fingers deftly released the cape from my shoulders so I could flip out of the way and land lightly. I threw the machete and watched as it buried into the head of my attacker. He screamed and threw my tattered cape to the floor to pull at the machete. One grabbed me from behind so I pulled a hidden blade and stuck it in his side. He let me go and I turned away only to receive a blow from the other one. A hit from a human was one thing, but I was almost knocked unconscious by a full blown strike from a vampire.

"Take this undead asshole!" I yelled. I grabbed a stake from my belt right as the vampire stepped forward. I jumped towards him and effortlessly slid the stake between the ribs and into the heart. An unnatural scream ripped from its throat before the vampire crumpled to the floor. The blonde vampire stopped his assault on Dave to turn and snarl at me.

"She has stakes?" the blonde growled. Kick-Ass attacked when the vampire wasn't looking but was quickly stopped when the blonde turned back around. He smacked the blade from his hand, punched him, and then threw him onto a rickety table which promptly collapsed.

"Kick-Ass!" I cried out. The vampire I threw the machete at finally pulled it free and tossed it aside. The other tackled me to the floor. I managed to get free and threw my last stake at the machete free vampire. It hit the mark and it too collapsed. A claw dug into my leg and dragged me back. I reached behind me for my staff but the blonde vampire snatched it away. The other vampire held me down and bared its fangs at me.

"I'm running this show Hit-Girl not you," the blonde stated. My staff came swishing down and barely nicked my cheek. I heard the vampire holding me down breath in deeply. Its tongue slid out to lick the blood off.

"You sick fuck," I muttered. I pulled lose my last knife and jammed it under the vampire's chin. He screamed and I threw him off. I climbed to my feet and ran in the direction Dave was thrown.

"Not so fast!" the blonde yelled. His claw grabbed my arm and he sunk his nails in, effectively stopping me in my tracks. He pulled me back and threw me to the floor. I landed next to the previous vampire I staked. Without a second thought I pulled the stake free and tossed it. The blonde jumped out of the way but the one behind him wasn't so lucky. I grinned and stared down the blonde defiantly. The vampire glared back at me in rage.

"I'll make you pay for killing my men!" the blonde snarled, his eyes quickly darkening. He held me roughly by the throat, nails barely puncturing skin. His hold was making it hard to breath. He bared his fangs and brought me closer. I struggled as hard as I could when I realized he was going to bite me. Suddenly, the vampire had no head. Blood spurted and the body went limp. I staggered but remained standing, taking in deep breaths. When I looked up, Etrigan was there along with two others.

"Shit," I muttered and hurriedly picked up my staff. He raised an eyebrow.

"Etrigan," I spit out in disgust. I took a few steps back.

"He shouldn't have done that. You are **mine** only," Etrigan said calmly, looking down at what was left of the blonde vampire.

"Fuck off," I replied. He grinned and with a snap of his fingers the two vampires flanking him stepped forward.

"Don't touch her!" Kick-Ass shouted as he rounded a shelf and ran to stand in front of me. He was pretty fucked up but he has trying. Etrigan frowned and without warning punched him. Kick-Ass stumbled and I hurried to keep him standing. The two vampires grabbed a hold of me and pulled me away. I fought against them, knocking both back with determined struggling. I pulled Dave forward to get him moving and together we sprinted to the exit.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm surprised I don't really have anything to say. Well, here's the next chapter.**

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><p>We ran as hard as we could to get the fuck out of there. Dave was limping a little but he kept up.<p>

"Hurry Mindy. Don't look back," he encouraged. I nodded but a pair of hands suddenly had a hold of my arm. I looked to see Dave being held back too. I grabbed a flare and lit it, throwing it at the vampire holding me. It gasped and covered its face. I kicked the other off Dave and threw another flare at that vampire too.

"Go Dave! Get out of here!" I screamed. Etrigan's vice grip held me by the neck in a flash. I tried fighting him off and so did Dave. Etrigan easily kept his grip strong on me while continuously beating the shit out of Kick-Ass. When Dave couldn't get up anymore and Etrigan was laughing down at him, I panicked. I grabbed Etrigan's shirt and pulled him to face me. His eyes almost immediately turned black and his gaze burned a hole in my soul.

"Mine," he whispered to me. I saw the hurt expression on Dave's face and I wanted so badly to go to him but I had to distract Etrigan.

"Get out of here Dave," I pleaded before Etrigan pulled me in for a kiss. I pushed away from him but he held me tightly.

"No. No," Dave whined. I heard him get to his feet and back away.

"You fucking bastard!" Dave screamed. Etrigan looked at him and I did too. Dave ran at him with a stake raised. Etrigan caught his arm, twisted it behind him, and pulled until Dave screamed in pain. He proceeded to lift him and throw him through an unbroken window that now shattered on impact.

"That takes care of your useless lover," he taunted with a smirk. I yelled furiously; ready to kill the motherfucker, but a sharp pain tore at my side. I stopped mere inches from him and looked down. He held a black jagged blade in his hand. The handle had red stones in it. The blade was hilt deep in my side while his hand rested idly on the handle. I choked on rising blood and leaned on him reluctantly.

"This dagger was given to me by Satan himself back when I became what I am today. When he gave me immortality he named me Etrigan the King of Demons," he began.

"Oh, so you didn't always have such a stupid name?" I said sarcastically through clenched teeth. I wanted to piss him off before I passed out, but he ignored me and continued.

"For this I had to do something for him in return. Namely, create as many demons as possible to destroy the Earth. I have succeeded no matter what you think Mindy. He has won. Of course, part of my dream is to have someone to share it with. I don't want just any common vampire woman, no, I needed someone like me," he explained with a violent twist of the blade. Blood spilled faster and I gritted my teeth.

"Someone like you," he purred in my ear. His tongue slipped out to lick blood from my lips before his mouth covered mine again. I was in too much pain to care. His kissing soon became nips until he was making his way down my neck. I was beginning to feel light headed and I knew I was dying but before I could disappear and let the darkness have me, a red hot flame burned through me. His teeth were buried deep in my throat. I screamed as the rush of fire burned like a piece of hell itself found refuge in my body. I felt my hands grip him tightly and my body tense under the great pain and pressure. My jaw ached and I was afraid what may have grown there. I felt the last frantic beats of my heart before it stuttered and died, leaving an agonizingly empty feeling. The pain continued to tear through my body and soon I blacked out.

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><p>I heard a water drop hit stone not too far away. The echo suggested it may have been a few feet. My suddenly sensitive hearing picked up on footsteps heading in my direction. The scent felt strangely familiar. I could feel someone stop and crouch next to me. A hand brushed my cheek and I shot out instinctually to grab it. A low angry growl reverberated from my chest and passed my teeth. I opened my eyes and saw Etrigan.<p>

"Get away from me," I snarled cautiously. He only smiled. It angered me further.

"Good morning to you too," he replied in a somewhat tired tone. I roared and easily tackled him to the ground. We scuffled in an equal tie. I felt the overwhelming urge to use my teeth so I bit into his arm when he tried to hold me down.

"Ah! You have a very powerful bite my love," he commented. The wound healed completely before my eyes. I licked my lips absentmindedly, disgusted that I liked the taste.

"What did you do to me?" I growled.

"Turned you of course; I want you to be mine," he replied.

"I'm nobody's property!" I yelled as I pushed him away. He went flying a few feet before catching himself. I jumped to my feet and ran, desperate to get away.

"You know you will crave blood now! You won't be able to disregard it!" he called out. I ignored him and continued to run. I made it back above ground and out of the sewer system. The starry night sky greeted me so I must have slept through the day. I pushed myself to walk a few miles before falling to the ground on my knees. I bowed my head and let the tears fall for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Why me?" I whispered to myself. I couldn't go back. I was one of **them** now.

"Dave…Dave and I made a promise to kill any and all vampires. Especially if it was each other," I whimpered remorsefully. My hands clenched, digging through the earth easily. I lifted my hands and pulled off my torn gloves. All the tips were ripped. At one point I must have grown claws.

I reached for my mask and felt that it was still on but the wig wasn't. I removed my mask so I could pull out the ties in my hair and redo it into a ponytail before replacing the mask. I stood and checked to make sure my suit wasn't too badly damaged. It was fine except for the loss of my cape. I picked up my gloves and shoved them back on. Weight on my back reminded me that I still had my staff.

"Why would he let me keep this?" I wondered.

"To humor you," a feminine voice with a Russian lilt answered. I spun around at the sound. A tall, strong framed woman sat idly on the hood of a smashed car.

"Why?" I asked out of curiosity.

"No doubt to make you feel like he has done nothing wrong to you; that you still have your skill to rely on. To help you ignore what you have become. He thinks that if he sides with your way of thinking without argument then you will see he isn't so bad after all," she explained as she slid off the car and walked towards me. I tensed and grabbed my staff.

"He's a fucking dumbass if he thinks I will **ever** consider him," I seethed.

"That's what I told him, minus the way in which you seem to regard him. It seems being an adviser does not matter though," she said with a shrug.

"Adviser?" I said with a tilted head.

"Yes, there are two of us. My name is Irina, adviser to Etrigan. I'm here to bring you back. There is a… test you need to accomplish to be worthy of the title you will carry," she explained.

"A title for what, I'm not going back," I told her.

"Where else will you go? The humans will not take you back. They are just as unforgiving as we are. Do you think you can hide and lie to them like you have been doing from the start? You may have fooled them and kept a different identity safe from knowledge but you cannot hide Vampirism from humans," she pointed out with a smirk.

"I can try," I responded, trying to hold back a growl threatening to rise. I was already tired of this primal anger that showed up every time I felt threatened.

"Even now you struggle with it. I suggest you find blood soon; wouldn't want to go mad with bloodlust do you?" she said with a demeaning chuckle. She leaped up to a high wall as lithely as a cat and turned back to me.

"I'll be watching you for now. Sooner or later you **will** come back and complete the test," she warned me. With that, she hopped down on the other side of the wall.

"Stupid bitch thinks she can order me around. I don't care what she says even if she's an adviser. I'm never going back to that place," I grumbled. I began walking in the direction of the store I last saw Dave, hoping there was no sign of him having died there. I reluctantly followed my new sense of smell. I may have tried to deny what became of me but my eyes, ears, nose, and mouth constantly reminded me of the change.

A sudden breeze carried a smell that made my mouth water unexpectedly. I was disgusted but unconsciously my body was already following the scent. I stopped at the store I was looking for. I stood outside the window Dave was thrown through but he wasn't there. All that was left of him was small stains of dried blood. I inhaled deeply to memorize the smell; ignoring the craving that came with it.

"Whether you want to see me again or not Dave, I'll find you," I muttered, hoping he would allow me to see him one last time. I turned away and determinedly set off for the docks.


	6. Chapter 6

**Another chapter finished and still some more to go. I figured out where I could take this fic so let's just see what comes of it.**

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><p>The sun halted my progress. I ended up sleeping in a room of a building that had no danger of light coming in. By the next night I went back to searching for Dave or anyone from the ship. I had to contact him in any way possible. My hand ran over my belt, finding no radio for the hundredth time. I sighed, knowing it wouldn't be there. I had no weapons either besides my staff but without maintenance it would become dull and useless. I hadn't seen a single vampire which was odd.<p>

I wondered if word was spread not to bother me or maybe they thought I wasn't worth the time. The hunger was the worse. It nagged and bothered all the fucking time. It grated on my senses and drove me to the brink of my control. I held my angry stomach and continued walking. I caught a scent when the wind blew again. Someone was hiding out in a building up ahead and judging by the unique scent it was a vampire.

"Get out here you pathetic ass!" I yelled in its direction. A shadow slid out of the rubble while my eyes focused. I soon had a clear picture of a man.

"Eager for a fight?" he taunted in a monotone. I was beginning to hate when I came across the talkers but this one seemed more reserved.

"You could say that," I replied.

"So it really happened. The great Hit-Girl finally lost," he responded when he stopped inches away in front of me.

"I haven't lost. Just because I lost my humanity doesn't mean I can't fight you. With or without back up I will continue to kill off as many of you shit heads as I can. Hopefully I'll die trying," I shot back. He laughed and smiled.

"I've been waiting for a good opponent to fight," he said, taking on a defensive stance. I smirked and readied my staff. He darted forward in a burst of speed I could actually see. I dodged and swiped at his legs. He shot into the air, flipped, and landed gracefully before he was at me again. I deflected two attacks and jabbed at him. He hopped back out of the way. I stepped up my advances but he dodged or blocked all my attacks. He twisted around my latest attack and struck me across the face. The force almost threw me to the ground but I stayed standing.

"Pathetic. You're no stronger than you were before. You probably refuse to feed and you insist on using this useless weapon," he said condescendingly. He kicked the staff out of my hands. I hurried to get it but he kicked me aside before I could reach it.

"Why don't you just give in? The surge of the hunt is breathtaking; a true predator's sport. Fight me without that blade and see," he stated. There was a wild gleam in his eyes. I turned away from his gaze and huffed out an irritated breath.

"No? Fine then; I told him you would refuse your new condition. I told him you would rather starve. Very well, I may be able to train our fighters by force but you lack the instinctual will to kill. I always knew I would be forced to manipulate you," he said with a sneer. He raised his hand and two other vampires climbed out from the rubble. I jumped to my feet, seeing what they carried with them; a human girl no older than twelve.

"Leave her alone!" I snarled. He was already aggravating me and I hated that he knew it. The trainer's eyebrows rose and he smiled deviously.

"We followed her when she tried to go off on her own. What a pity. Kill her," he commanded the other two. They raised their claws and the girl cowered.

"No!" I roared, bounding forward and tackling one to the ground. He pushed me off but I quickly sunk my claws into him so he couldn't get away. I pulled both of us to our feet and threw him at the other one. The force of the collision threw them far from the girl.

"You're alright, I got you," I told her gently holding out a hand. She took one look at me and backed away.

"Get away from me!" she screamed. The trainer laughed.

"You see, even the humans you love hate you!" he cackled. A low growl ripped past my teeth before I could stop it.

"I'm not giving up," I stated. I grabbed the girl and threw her over my shoulder. She kicked, punched, and screamed. I made sure to grab my staff before I took off in the direction of the docks at full speed. I looked back only once to see three angry vampires watching me go, but they didn't follow. The girl soon tired out the farther I went and stayed quiet. It was easier to ignore her this way. It was hard as it was trying not to think of her as food. I could hear her heart and smell her blood. I shook my head to clear it of such thoughts.

"Finally, we're at the dock," I said, setting her down. She pulled a knife on me right when her feet touched ground.

"I'm not going to hurt you. You know who I am," I said, trying to calm her down.

"HG is dead! How dare you pretend to be her! You're just trying to get to our ship!" she cried, swinging the knife at me. I backed away; devastated.

"They think I'm dead?" I exclaimed. The girl only held the knife steadier.

"But I'm-" I cut off mid-sentence with a grunt of pain. A strong arm wrapped around my neck and a knife dug into my back.

"Well that's a new way to say back stabber," I said through my teeth. Two people I had seen before around the ship jumped from a boat onto the dock.

"Father!" the girl cried, running to the burly man. I jabbed the guy holding me with my elbow and he let go. I pulled the knife from my back and dropped it. The cut was healing slowly.

"You're the backstabber here," the young man accused as he backed away to join the burly man and the thin man.

"I'm not one of them!" I yelled angrily. I was fighting to keep my rising emotions in check. It was hard to stay calm.

"Let's take her in. Kick-Ass will want to see this," the thin man stated. The others nodded. I backed away at first but I knew it was futile. I sighed. They advanced on me with knives of all shapes and sizes along with flares and stakes strapped to their belts. They shoved me to my knees and I let them bind me in chains. They dragged me back to the boat and threw me in roughly. I waited calmly with my cheek pressed against the water logged bottom of the boat. The smell of the water felt refreshing and cleared my head. It soon began to drizzle.

"What do you think KA will say when we show him this?" the girl asked excitedly.

"None of our business; you're lucky to have survived young lady. Don't **ever** run off again," the father answered. I rolled my eyes.

"She isn't going to learn shit if she has to mind her own business. My father taught me all about fighting and defense at her age," I spoke up.

"Be quiet demon!" the young man spit at me. He kicked me in the side. I wasn't surprised to barely feel it but it injured my pride none the less. It hurt me to know that the vampires were right. My people, the ones I risked my life for every fucking day, had turned on me. Hopefully Dave would see I was still me on the inside regardless of what I looked like on the outside. They continued their conversation until we reached the ship. They hauled me off the floor and threw me on deck. I raised my head in time to see the girl run to her mother. At least she was home, and so was I in a way.

"Get up monster," the burly man commanded. I pushed myself to my feet reluctantly, knowing I would be beat back down; which he took great pleasure in doing. This motherfucker was taking things too far with me. I could see the irritation some vampires had now that I was in their position. It was so fucking demeaning. He grabbed me by the front of my suit and threw me in the direction of Dave's room. I briefly wondered if people puzzled over the disappearance of my real identity or if Dave somehow covered it up. I sighed and got to my feet again.

"I'm going to stay with my family. Escort it," the burly man said.

"Ok," the young man answered. He and the thin man took matters into their own hands from there. I was beaten all the way to Kick-Ass' door where I was forced to kneel in front of. Every cut they inflicted healed but it was slower each time. Without anything to eat I was quickly starving and growing weak but I refused to act in order to save myself. They knocked. The door swung open and there stood Dave. He had his arm in a sling and a scowl ready on his face but it dropped when he saw me.

"We got another one sir. This one claims to be Hit-Girl but we know she would rather die than let herself get infected. I think it's trying to trick us," the thin man said. Kick-Ass studied me a little longer, keeping his face neutral.

"I'll handle it from here," he finally said to them.

"Come in," he addressed me. He pushed his door open and stepped back. The young man pulled me up and shoved me in. I stumbled but managed to stay on my feet. They left and Kick-Ass shut the door. While we were on deck it had started to full-out rain so I was soaked. I let my legs collapse under me so that I was kneeling again. I felt like shit. I wanted to pass out.

"Mindy…is that you," he whispered with a waver to his voice. I didn't want to disappoint him but I answered anyway.

"Yes," I replied simply. I bowed my head lower so he couldn't see the tears of shame. I heard him stomp forward and saw his mask fall to the floor. His hands gripped my upper arms and pulled me to my feet. He pulled my mask off, let it fall, and raised my face so he could look into my eyes. I stared back morosely but his grim attitude melted and he smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm happy to see reviews and other alerts; thanks people. I'm going to put up one more chapter for the many reviews. Thanks again!**

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><p>I was instantly confused. I knew the end was coming. Dave and I got any and all information from the vampires and killed them after. I assumed he would kill me on the spot once he knew it was really me, as was our deal, but he didn't. Instead, he smiled and pulled me into a one armed hug.<p>

"I can't believe you survived," he mumbled into my shoulder. I inhaled his scent and matched it to the blood I found earlier. My stomach ached with hunger.

"Dave, stop; you have to kill me. You have to kill me before I hurt anyone," I whispered. He pulled back to look at me. I knew from personal experience that all hungry vampires looked the same; black eyes, pale skin, and claws out. I didn't doubt I looked the same.

"The Mindy I knew never gave up. You were never defeated. What did they do to you?" he asked.

"They broke me. Not the vampires, but our own people. I could take whatever shit the vampires said to me but not our own people. I've let them down. I've fucked up. They looked up to me and I failed. They don't see **me** in their eyes anymore and you shouldn't either. Kill me before you might change your mind," I told him.

"I already have the moment I saw you again," he said. He leaned in and I leaned forward but suddenly I heard voices and the air was drafty. Dave dissolved and so did our room. I closed my eyes and then opened them to see I was in the ship's hold where we stored supplies. Barrels, boxes, and bags surrounded me. The ship creaked every so often and water dripped somewhere. The noise grated on my nerves.

"What the fuck happened?" I mumbled tiredly. I tried to move but was held back. I pulled again and realized I was chained to a pole above me. My gloves were removed and the metal dug into my skin every time I shifted. I hung just enough so I could rest on my knees but my arms were held straight above me. I must have passed out at some point and had a dream. I smelled a human nearby and turned to see a muscled man standing not too far away with a stake held ready in his hand.

"Is she here? I came to talk to her for Kick-Ass," a familiar voice said. The muscled man grunted. I peered ahead and saw Dave. I was relieved to see he was ok. I was worried his arm might have been broken but the only damage done to him was small cuts or bruises on his face and arms.

"I'll take it from here," he told the man. The man grunted again before leaving. Dave walked in slowly, taking measured steps like he couldn't see. It must have been darker than I thought. I could see in the dark now and he couldn't. The only light source was a lamp by the entrance. I pushed myself to my feet, not wanting to face him from the floor. The chains rattled with my movement. I didn't say anything and waited for him to start the conversation.

"People say you're pretending to be Hit-Girl. Why is that?" he asked seriously when he stopped in front of me. I sighed with some irritation.

"I **am **her. I was infected Dave. I was overpowered just like I said I would never be. I put Kick-Ass in danger and he was almost killed. It's enough that he got away and isn't sharing the situation I'm in now," I responded, trying to keep the shame out of my voice. It looked like my words were getting to him but then he scowled.

"If you were her you would come back asking to be killed. Why the sudden change of heart?" he questioned. I was aware of the venom that was constant in his voice. I couldn't stop it from hurting me every time he spoke.

"I wanted to see you. To tell you that it **is **me. I still want to be killed. This isn't the way I want to be anyways. I'm glad I got to see you and hear you one last time. I would prefer it if you were the one who did it though. I think you know our deal," I reminded him.

"So you remember?" he questioned, his heavy brows lifting somewhat. I only nodded. He looked around before cautiously stepping forward. He reached out and froze, gauging my reaction.

"I won't hurt you Dave. I can't even if I wanted to," I said, rattling the chains for emphasis. He took a deep breath and reached to remove my mask. When the fabric was pulled away, he gasped. He went to touch my face but hesitated and stood back. He shook his head and paced back and forth, my mask clenched tight in his fist. He was deeply conflicted. He stopped suddenly to stare at me with watering eyes.

"Fuck Mindy! You said this would never happen! You assured me! I can't kill you. You know that right? It's still you. You haven't changed. No one will look at you the same but I always will even if I'm not supposed to," he whimpered.

"I should have known. You always were the softy Dave, but you have to. What choice do you have?" I asked him. He stayed silent for a long time. I watched him pace some more.

"I'll come back for you. I'll tell everyone that I need you for information. It's the only way to keep you safe from being killed by the others. But that means…" he said hesitantly. I nodded reluctantly.

"The torture," I finished for him. He nodded confirmation. I sighed.

"Whatever, it's not like I haven't been through hell already. I don't even know if I'll last. I haven't fed since I woke up. I resisted the urge. Do you really think I would be caught without a fight? I just couldn't fight back. I would have waited for you back at the mainland but I was side tracked. I wanted to have you kill me out there. That way everyone would have assumed me dead, not one of those monsters," I told him with disgust.

"I'll think of something," he said with determination.

"Dave no, what do you think you're doing? Don't be a dumbass. Anything you do for me will get you killed as well. You know this more than anyone," I warned him. His expression turned fierce like when we were fighting. He rushed forward, grabbed my upper arms, and shook me.

"I can't kill you! I can't…I can't let you go. Not in any way whether it's by my hand or theirs. You can't die. I don't know what I'd do without you," he stated. He wrapped me the best he could in his arms. I was caught by surprise but then I relaxed into his embrace. I rested my head on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry Mindy. I couldn't protect you. **I **failed **you**. If I had kept you safe, you wouldn't be like this," he cried into my shoulder.

"It isn't your fault. We can get through this. As long as you still want me," I said. He pulled back to gaze at me. He ran his fingers over my face and stopped at my mouth. He faltered before leaning in and gently brushing my lips with his. I stayed completely still. Being so close to him was hard as it was. He inhaled and held his breath before letting it out.

"I love you," he whispered. I smiled in relief.

"I love you too," I replied just as quiet. He smiled sadly and stepped back.

"Strangely, it doesn't bother me as much as I imagined it would," he told me. My smile dropped and I turned away.

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not," I said grudgingly. He chuckled, chasing the tension away a little. He put my mask back on and walked away.

"I'll see you later," he said over his shoulder. When he left the guard came back in and stationed himself at the entrance. I sighed and kneeled again.

"Shit, you always find a way to make me feel like anything can be fixed Dave," I muttered to myself. The three men who brought me in returned a while later. I looked up at them and smirked knowingly. Whatever they came to say or do, at least I didn't have to act nice. If they wanted to see me as a monster I would let them.

"What do **you** want?" I grumbled. The burly man only smacked his palm with his fist. The thin man grinned and the young man chuckled.

"Interrogation or just plain beating?" I guessed.

"Just plain fun blood sucker," the thin man corrected.

"I was beginning to think you couldn't talk and let fatty do all the talking for you," I replied. They instantly looked livid.

"Shut up!" the young man yelled. He rushed at me and I jumped to my feet. I climbed up the chains as fast as I could and the young man darted under me. I let go and kicked him in the head on my way down. He stumbled back holding his head. The thin man came at me swinging a butcher's knife.

"Funny, I thought you looked like a butcher," I taunted. I smacked it from his hand and punched him in the face. The burly man punched me in the gut before I could turn to him. It barely slowed me down.

"Didn't think you would hit a girl," I said to him. He hauled back and punched me in the face this time. I stumbled but managed to see the young man come at me from the corner of my eye. I grabbed his arm and threw him at the thin man. His newly obtained swinging knife came swishing through the air and buried itself into the young man's arm. He screamed and the thin man looked surprised. I smirked but when I saw the blood I froze.

I bared my teeth and snarled, startling all three of them plus myself. I jumped forward but the chains halted me. I was breathing heavily and all I could think about was getting to the blood. The burly man pushed the other two out yelling obscenities at them. He turned back to me and marched over. Without blood around I managed to calm myself but the smell wouldn't leave me alone. He grabbed the chain and quickly had it wrapped around my throat with a few swift swings while I stood dazed and struggling with the hunger.

"Don't test us demon. We were told to keep you for questioning so I can't kill you but I **will** beat the shit out of you," he growled in my ear. He tightened the chains and lifted me off my feet. The pain from the metal digging into my skin bothered me more than the lack of air I no longer needed but I said nothing. He dropped me and I fell to my knees again.

"You douche," I gasped out. His shoulders tensed and he spun around to throw a slim dagger at me. It struck my torso harshly. I gritted my teeth and growled angrily. Losing more blood was not ideal at this point and that bastard knew it. He leered and walked out the room.


	8. Chapter 8

**So, to ease any confusion I've noticed I will explain now. If vampires are up and on the move it is night. I guess I was too lazy to add a time of day in but yeah. Once in a while I may indicate this but otherwise it is night. We all know they can't walk around in daylight lol. Here is the next chapter.**

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><p>I spent hours struggling to get the knife out. It was placed at a location I couldn't reach. I tried to stand to give myself slack to reach it but I could only brush the handle with my fingertips.<p>

"That fucking bastard knew exactly where to put this damn knife. He probably did this to others too," I complained, reaching for it again. I could feel myself further weakening. I gave up and let myself fall. Fatigue wore on me so I opted to stay still. Throughout the night I was visited by people wanting to see if it was really me. Some thought I was a lost cause. Others thought I may be who I said I was but it was a small percentage. I remained quiet and let them gawk.

Mostly, they just wanted me dead and openly showed how much they hated me with more beatings. They all tried to force the same thing out of me; was I a traitor, spy, or in disguise. I was just pissed those fucking dumbasses didn't believe me. I healed after every assault but it was still slow going. No one had the mercy to remove the annoying knife in my side. I felt like I fell asleep at odd times. It would suddenly hit me and I had to sleep. I figured this was when the night ended. Dave didn't come back until I woke up from my third sleep.

"Hey," he said as he walked in. I grunted a greeting. He bent to grasp the knife and yank it out. I flinched.

"Tired?" he asked.

"Hungry and you aren't making anything easier," I growled.

"That's a drastic change," he commented, stepping away when the blood stopped.

"What is?" I asked.

"Your attitude," he replied. I realized we talked as easily as we did on a daily basis.

"Well the last time I saw you go hungry for too long you were as snippy as a girl during PMS," I reminded him with a small, tired, smile. He laughed.

"Yeah well, you're in luck. I brought you something," he told me, slipping back into a serious tone. Whatever it was, he still found it uncomfortable. He walked forward and pulled out a key. He unlocked one cuff and then handed me a small tin thermos from the pack he carried. The smell coming from it hit me hard. I felt like tearing it to pieces and fought to drink from it properly. He watched me with intrigue. When I was done, I handed it back to him.

"You shouldn't have Dave," I told him, reaching out to touch his hand. He turned it over to hold my hand in his.

"I couldn't think of any other way," he replied. I raised my hand, taking his with it, and brought the back of his hand to my face.

"I know your scent the best Dave. I think I could find you anywhere," I whispered. My nose brushed his hand before I let it drop back to where it rested.

"Then you know how much I'm willing to sacrifice for you. It took me some time to do. I kept chickening out," he told me. I reached for his other hand and pulled back the sleeve. A white bandage was revealed.

"You dumbass," I whispered sadly. I couldn't look at him anymore. He sighed and stood, shoving the thermos back in the pack. He took out the key and held it at the ready. His gaze was apologetic. I held out my hand and he locked me back in the cuff.

"The next time I see you I'm breaking you out of here," he told me with sincerity. I looked into his eyes and nodded.

"How could you trust me? I mean, I look just like them don't I?" I questioned before he could leave.

"You do, but I always told myself, that if you were ever infected and wasn't reduced to a hunger crazed animal, I knew you would be strong enough to fight any urges so I would trust you. But I think deep down I knew you would always be my Mindy," he explained. I smirked.

"Yeah, I guess that works," I replied. He laughed and left me alone. Almost a week passed before he came back. I knew something was up when there was a huge pounding of feet up on deck. Everyone seemed frantic. Kick-Ass came barreling in and ran to unlock me.

"What's going on?" I demanded, forgetting the situation I was in and reverting back to my old role of protector.

"They came for you; the vampires. I've been busy dealing with random sighting of them on board but now they finally struck. I guess they hadn't targeted you for nothing," he said hurriedly. Once I was free he pushed my bow staff into my hand. It was cleaned and sharped again.

"Stay down here. I'm not letting them get you," I commanded.

"But what about-" he began.

"No! Dave, listen to me. I don't want this for you. The others will be fine. I'll give myself up and they'll leave. Don't let them see you," I told him with a pointed stare. He looked like he wanted to argue so I pushed him roughly against the wall. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Stay," I growled, baring my teeth. He nodded and I let him go. I hurried out of the cargo hold and up to the deck. People ran every which way. Most of the men were fighting vampires. I saw the burly man fighting off a vampire but was easily getting the shit kicked out of him. I ran in his direction. Dammit, that guy had family regardless of being an ass. I swiftly decapitated the vampire before he could do any more harm. The burly man stared at me with his mouth hanging open.

"Oops, wrong guy," I said with a sardonic smirk before running off again. I cut the head off a handful of vampires I passed. It took them some time to realize I wasn't helping their side. Then I was suddenly surrounded.

"Leave the humans alone and I'll go with you," I told them. They exchanged looks before one of them signaled to the others. They ran off and the last one stepped forward.

"I've told them to leave. Anyone who disobeys, dies," he told me.

"Yeah, because I'll end their miserable lives," I retorted, walking past. The vampire grimaced but followed me. I watched as they all made running leaps into the water below. I ran to the edge and jumped. The plummet went by fast and hard, unforgiving, water hit me head on. I broke the surface and began swimming effortlessly. I only turned back once to see Kick-Ass watching me.

I followed the vampires back to the mainland. Once everyone was on solid ground I was apprehended. I didn't fight back; I just let them push me in the right direction. They took me far inland and then we descended down into a sewer system. Its winding paths led us to an open space. It was set up like an arena. The audience sat surrounding the arena like the Coliseum.

"I really don't like the looks of this shit," I said out loud.

"Good, because this is your test; survive the onslaught of attacks and prove you are strong enough to lead us," the vampire told me.

"Lead you? I don't want to lead a group of-" I began.

"You really don't want to finish that. It will make your test all the more harder," Etrigan cautioned from the shadows. He walked fluidly to my side.

"How was your incarceration with the humans?" he asked, reaching out to caress my face. I slapped his hand away and leveled my blade at him.

"Don't touch me," I snarled.

"Why do you insist on using that? It won't help you when the situation gets deadly. It's one of the reasons most humans don't survive. It is pure instinct that always wins out. You will never win if you keep using it," he advised. I grunted disapproval and backed into the arena so that I could always see him. Only when I entered the arena with my bow staff held at the ready did I turn my back on him. I heard Etrigan laugh behind me.

"That's why I love you," he said as he turned and walked away. The gate slammed down and the audience quieted. A different gate opened and five vampires bounded out like animals. These must be the lesser type. All they thought about was getting to feed. Their black eyes landed on me. A chorus of growls met my ears.

"Come get it motherfuckers," I snarled. I killed them in five minutes without a scratch and wondered if this was it. A second wave was released. There were now ten I had to fight. It took a little longer but I won with minimal damage. When twenty were released I was beginning to feel that I knew what the pattern would be for the rest of the fight. I could only hope I would survive.


	9. Chapter 9

**Ok I think I missed a day due to lots of work but I'll make that up with two chapters I guess. Here's the first one.**

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><p>The fight soon escalated into a full out battle. My staff had broken twice but I still managed to use it. I found myself fighting dirty and using whatever I could to my advantage. I was still knocked down and almost eaten to death. It seemed humans weren't the only things vampires fed on. It explained their easy survival with the decline of humans.<p>

"I'm guessing all the smart vampires will be fighting your ugly asses when the humans die out," I grunted out under a deflection from an attack. It was a wonder my suit was holding together. I received gash after gash from claws, multiple bites, and cracked bones. At one point one latched onto my neck and held me down. I broke its jaw and used the body to knock down the others. My bow staff finally broke completely. The blade went from nicks to cracks to shattering. The handles bent and broke. I used them as stakes until I was disarmed.

"Fuck," I cursed. I counted eight more opponents. I had lost track of counting the dead around one hundred and thirty. A wild uppercut knocked me back and I fell. The loss of so much blood made me weak again. It's been too long since the night Dave gave me blood. I hadn't noticed until now. I laid on my back in pain and fatigue. The newest injuries were healing too slowly. They surrounded me with salivating jaws and it was then that Etrigan's words came back to me.

"Instinct," I panted out. I pushed myself to my feet and allowed myself to reach out with my senses. I smelled their blood just like I could with humans. It didn't tempt me half as much but it was better than nothing. I crouched and waited for them to get closer. One launched at me and I jumped away. I grabbed one by the neck and twisted, putting the body out of commission instantly. I quickly moved on to the next and caught the claw it swung at me. I ripped its arm off, along with the head, and kicked the body away.

The next one grabbed me in a chokehold which I easily broke through. I slashed the stomach and watched as it tried to hold itself together. I sprinted at the closest one and tackled it to the ground. I let out an angry snarl and ripped out the throat. I blocked an attack from behind, rolled away, and got back on my feet. I could feel the bloodlust getting out of control. I held my head; trying to think clearly.

My stomach grumbled a reminder. A part of me knew this way of fighting wasn't right, but another part of me so fucking enjoyed it. I **wanted** to feel the tear of skin, hear the snap of bone, and taste the awaiting blood. I gave in with a roar and tore the remaining four to shreds. Their limbs were scattered in all directions and blood splattered the area far more than before. The last vampire squirmed in my grasp. It knew the end was coming yet it still fought on.

Its teeth snapped at me, inches away from getting what it wanted. I growled, tore into its neck with my teeth, and drained it dry. I held the body loosely before dropping it. I was so zoned out for most of the battle that the applause of the audience surprised me. It took me awhile to remember why I was even here.

"I knew you could do it. You are far more bloodthirsty than you think you are," Etrigan said suddenly standing next to me. I snarled and launched myself at him. He blocked everything I threw at him but I kept trying. Two muscled vampires appeared to hold me back.

"Take her to the surface and let her get her energy out. You know how bloodlust works," he told the two men. They nodded and forcefully dragged me out. They tossed me into the dusty ground and left. I wandered around before falling to the ground in confusion. I stayed on the floor trying to order my thoughts. It was a jumbled mess and all I could think about was killing anything I could get my claws or teeth on.

When I finally regained control, I sat up. I looked down and found different size cuts all over my suit along with tears were I was bitten. I raised my hands and was met with a number of new scars. I was probably covered in them. I flopped on my back and looked up at the stars. It was relaxing and cleared my mind. When I was calm I got to my feet and searched for another enclosed space to hide in. Morning came all too quickly but I was happy to be asleep.

The next night I awoke to voices nearby. I sat up and scented the air. There were two humans; Dave was one of them. I climbed to my feet excitedly but skid to a stop. I was in no condition to see him. I was all torn to hell and I wasn't entirely fed. Those vampires didn't fill me up as well as a human would but I had to see him. I climbed out carefully and snuck up behind them. It was time to test who he brought. I launched myself at Dave, tackling him to the floor and easily pinning him down. He struggled but when he saw who it was he smiled.

"Hold on Kick-Ass! I'm coming!" the other person called out. It was then that I recognized the voice. Sam came running over with a raised stake. I let Kick-Ass go and knocked over Sam. I pulled the stake from his grasp and threw it away.

"It's me you dumbass," I stated firmly. His eyes went wide.

"She isn't going to hurt you," Kick-Ass said as he walked over. I stood and offered Sam my hand. He grabbed it after some hesitation and I pulled him to his feet.

"Hit-Girl, it's nice to see you alive and well," he said.

"Cut the crap Sam. Why are you guys out here?" I asked urgently.

"I came to find you," Kick-Ass answered.

"So why is he here?" I said, turning to him but pointing at Sam.

"I wanted to help," Sam answered for him.

"And what a help you've been Samuel," a voice spoke suddenly. I turned and growled at the intruder. She was a vampire. By the sound of her voice I knew it was Irina.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded. She laughed and walked around us.

"I came to pick you up. Thanks to our spy, we have you **and** your human," she stated happily.

"What spy?" Kick-Ass wondered. The answer clicked in my mind.

"Sam, what the fuck; we trusted you!" I yelled, turning to him. He raised his hands in mock fright.

"How long have you been doing this?" Kick-Ass demanded.

"Ever since the beginning," Sam answered calmly.

"Even when we saved your sorry ass from being eaten?" Kick-Ass questioned.

"Don't you get it? It was a set up. Everything was a set up," Sam replied.

"I can't believe we let you handle the supplies," Kick-Ass replied.

"Which was important, because I also had control of…" he began.

"Who goes in and who goes out," I finished.

"Bingo," Sam said.

"You didn't sound the alarm. You let them board…" Kick-Ass stated in a detached tone.

"You bastard! The attack on the boat was your fault!" I snarled in fury. I jumped at him with my claws out. A force knocked me away. Irina held me down with a twisted grin.

"You are coming with us and we are taking your little boy toy too," she said. She easily pulled me to my feet and dragged me away. Another vampire appeared to escort Kick-Ass while Sam walked unhindered next to us.

"You were our friend! We trusted you! I'll kill you, you fucking traitor! I'll tear you to shreds when I get my hands on you!" I yelled at him. I was still trying to break free from Irina's hold but she was at full power and I wasn't. They took us back underground. Sam ran off to be a servant boy while Kick-Ass and I were thrown in a cell. Its heavy steel door prevented me from breaking out. Solid layers of brick surrounded us. I let my anger out on the walls, breaking pieces off but getting nowhere.

"We can't get out," I muttered as my anger dispersed and I slipped to the floor. Kick-Ass was already sitting down. He raised his head, studied me, and frowned.

"What did they do to you?" he asked. He reached out to touch my arm where a bite shaped scar stood out against my pale skin and torn suit.

"They made me fight to prove I could lead them. I had to if I wanted to survive whether I wanted to lead them or not. I'm killing whoever I get my hands on once I get out of here," I promised, bottling more rage. Kick-Ass sighed and pulled his mask off revealing the Dave I loved underneath. His expression chased away my pent up anger. He looked beyond tired. A look I hadn't seen since we started the whole hero gig. He dragged a hand down his face and kept it there before dropping it on his lap and looking up.

"Are you ok?" I asked, suddenly concerned. I knew it was a stupid question but I wanted to know.

"I'm as ok as anyone can be right now. I stressed over finding you and now that you're here I'm ok for now," he answered simply.

"It's my turn to get you out of here," I stated. He looked at me and smiled sadly. I stood and peered out the small square on the door. My senses told me someone was guarding us outside. Whatever they had planned for us, it was important that I attended.


	10. Chapter 10

**And here it the second one.**

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><p>I spent all my time pacing back and forth in the cell. Two vampires came for us some time later. They immediately cuffed me so I couldn't put up a fight. One made sure I behaved while the other roughly pushed Dave to follow. I noticed he had put his mask back on. We were led to a big room with a ring in the middle. It looked like a smaller version of the coliseum I had to fight in before except this time there wasn't an audience. The vampire holding me pushed me forward before retreating out of the room. The other vampire made Dave kneel on the floor before he too left. Etrigan stood waiting by the ring while Irina and Sam stood off to the side.<p>

"Good to see you back and with Kick-Ass too," he said as he stepped forward to greet us. He scoffed when he said Kick-Ass' name. He walked over to me and kissed my cheek. I growled and snapped at him. He laughed. Dave looked furious.

"Here's the deal Mindy my dear. We will let poor Dave go, but you must promise to stay here forever. No going back and no communicating with them. You are to follow what we do and kill them. If you don't agree to these terms then you will fight to the death," he explained as he circled me.

"Big deal, I fought before. What more could you do to me?" I shot back.

"Let me finish. You will fight Dave to the death," he replied. My breath hitched and I shook my head. Dave looked up at Etrigan before turning to look at me with worry. I saw Irina smirk and Sam glance nervously at me.

"I won't fight him," I said, choosing the only other option.

"Mindy-" Dave began.

"Go Dave. Get out of here while you still can," I interrupted.

"You heard her filth," Irina spoke up.

"No wait, I propose a different deal," Dave stammered out. Etrigan tilted his head and raised his eyebrows in interest.

"And what, pray tell, is that human?" he asked Dave.

"I will fight her to the death," Dave said.

"No, I won't agree to this!" I stated.

"I know how much you want to see this fight happen so I will fight on one condition. If I win you have to leave my people alone, but if she wins, **you** have to fight her to the death," he offered. Etrigan laughed.

"You are a very cunning human aren't you? Ok then I will accept," Etrigan replied.

"What? Dave…" I said weakly. Irina walked over and yanked Dave to his feet while Etrigan gripped my arm. They steered us to the ring and threw us in. Sam ran forward and unlocked my cuffs. I immediately grabbed him by the throat. Everyone froze but Etrigan. He caught my eyes and smiled expectantly.

"I should ripe apart your miserable hide but I won't. I won't because then I would be no better than what the humans expect me to be. So count yourself lucky that you're a pathetic human being," I sneered. I pushed him away and he stumbled backwards until he fell over the low wall of the ring and fell out. I turned back around to face Dave. He stared back at me determinedly.

"I don't want to do this," I whispered sadly.

"Don't think about it. When I'm gone you can use me for more energy. You'll be at your strongest when you fight him. We will all be free when you win," he replied, managing to keep a straight face.

"All of us except for you," I mumbled.

"No more talking; fight!" Irina commanded. Dave rushed forward and pulled out his batons. Only I knew what would come next. He pulled them apart to reveal two swords. He only ever used them as a last resort so that he could surprise the enemy while they thought he was defenseless. He swiped twice at me and I dodged. He continued to attack but I refused to fight back.

"Just like old times huh?" he said with another swipe.

"Yeah, except I'm afraid to hit you and one of us will lose more than a simple fight in the end," I replied, shifting away from his latest attack.

"It doesn't have to be that way," he told me. I looked into his eyes and made my choice. I smirked and struck back. He blocked then crouched to kick my feet out from under me. I jumped and punched down at him. He somersaulted backwards and out of the way.

"Excellent form of entertainment my Lord," Irina exclaimed. Etrigan only smiled. I turned back to the fight to see that Dave was on his feet. I darted forward and unleashed a series of attacks which he was able to block; all except for one. It made me shudder when my claws finally tore into Dave's shoulder. He cried out and stumbled away.

I looked at my hand and watched the blood fall from my pointed nails. I shook my head and focused back on the fight. We clashed a few more times before we collided and fought against each other; my claws against his swords. They cut into my hands every so often but I didn't care. I had to keep my thoughts busy so I didn't let my control slip.

"You're right, it doesn't," I whispered. He gave me a puzzled look before I let my defenses fall. Without anything to hold him back he continued forward. I grabbed his shoulder for support just as one blade impaled my stomach and the other entered my heart. I flinched and lost my grip on him. He pulled out his swords and watched as I collapsed. He fell on his knees next to me in disbelief.

"Mindy…" he whispered.

"Looks like you win human," Etrigan spit in reserved fury. With a lithe hop he cleared the low wall and stood with his arms out.

"As agreed, you are free to return to your people and we will leave you be," he stated. Dave glanced at me in pain. I nodded and he grimaced, but hurriedly sprinted out of the room.

"Should we give chase my lord?" Irina asked as soon as he was out of sight. Her comment made me bristle with rage.

"You bitch," I managed to snarl at her. She hissed at me and looked to Etrigan.

"Language my dear; no need to upset anyone," he said in a slightly reprimanding tone. A feral growl resounded threateningly in my chest.

"I don't need to make anyone happy you pretentious shit excuse for a king! I'll kill you and end your rein!" I yelled. Irina looked livid but Etrigan only smiled.

"Leave the human alone. I have a much better idea. If she loses, I slaughter all those worthless humans but if she wins, well, everyone is saved; but I doubt she will survive," he suggested with an air of confidence. Irina's eyes lit up with excitement. He bent to yank me up and push me back. I stumbled but remained standing. I held my torso as sharp pain racked my body.

I was in agony but the threat hanging over Dave made me push forward. I stumbled as I ran and tried to strike at him. He lazily caught my hand and threw me to the side. I picked myself up and tried again. This time he dodged my attacks and returned with one of his own. I fell to the ground with four gashes across my face which healed shortly after.

"I hope you don't expect to win. You haven't fed yet again, you are injured, and you lost your chance at a meal. How will you win this fight?" he taunted. I pushed myself up and glared.

"I'll show you that I can win this fight. I haven't survived all this time for nothing," I retorted. He laughed scornfully.

"We'll see about that," he replied. He pulled off his cape and threw it at me suddenly. It distracted me enough for him to get behind me. He wrapped an arm around my neck and pulled me against him.

"I won't enjoy killing you but if it's a threat to my throne I will not let that go unanswered," he hissed in my ear. His nails dug into my shoulder. I reached back and used my own to tear into his side. He shrieked in anger and threw me across the ring. I skidded in the dirt before coming to a stop at the other end. By now my stomach was mostly healed but my chest still stung. I picked myself up and dusted off my already torn suit. I cracked my knuckles before getting into a defensive position.

"I'll enjoy killing you and ending your race," I continued to taunt. He grinned, baring his pointed teeth. He released his wings and a gust of wind followed. He flew forward and landed a few feet in front of me.

"If that is what you wish, you will have to pay the consequences," he cautioned. I couldn't help feeling the ominous threat in his voice but I pushed it away. Now was not the time for doubt.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hope everyone had an awesome Christmas! R&R**

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><p>The fight dragged on and it wasn't looking good for me. I had gotten in a few crucial hits but it was obvious whose blood covered the ring. I stumbled forward and was brutally knocked aside. Etrigan pounced on me and bit into my shoulder for the second time. I screamed and tore him off, swinging at his face in the process. He stumbled back with cuts that healed a little slower than before but still faster than my war torn body.<p>

"Do you think you can win? I'm **above** you," he taunted. I spit out blood and snickered.

"I **will** win. I may not be stronger than you but I've taken too many beatings in my life to let this get to me," I retaliated. He snarled and launched at me. I rolled to the side. Before I could get up he was already attacking. I punched him before he could bite me again and pushed him over so I was on top. I held him down by the neck.

"Don't underestimate me," I hissed at him. He snapped at me and I punched him back down. He threw me off but I caught myself like a cat after a brief stumble. I pushed off the floor and jumped at him. I bit into his neck and he screamed. He tried to claw me off but I held on. My eyes shut in concentration so I could plan out what would come next.

"Get off me!" he shouted, shattering my focus. I renewed my strength and wrestled him to the ground forcefully, letting my jaws lock and my ever present hunger loose. Irina shrieked. Suddenly, I was torn off Etrigan. I tumbled to the ground but I was up in a second. Irina helped Etrigan to his feet.

"No interfering," I threatened, my strength rising significantly.

"Or what?" she retorted. I scooped one of Dave's swords off the floor with my foot and caught it with my hand. It took one swift leap to sail past both of them and landed gracefully. I turned to see Irina collapse and her head roll away. Etrigan was crouched on the floor.

"You've gotten faster," he panted.

"Thanks to you," I responded, slowly sauntering over to stand in back of him. I raised the sword and swung at his neck but he was already gone. He knocked it from my grasp and dragged a claw down and across my torso. I cringed and he grabbed me around the neck.

"I'll teach you to take my blood," he seethed.

"I'm not all out of tricks," I said with a smirk. I kicked his legs out from under him. He lost his grip and fell to his knees. I stabbed him through the heart with my claw and slammed him into the ground. It cracked under the pressure while he lied dazed on his back. I had the sword in hand the next second and struck out at him the next. He looked momentarily surprised before his expression froze and blood leaked from a nearly invisible line across his neck. The head separated from the body slightly.

"That was somewhat easy," I huffed out sarcastically. At that moment, a chorus of screams stabbed sharply into my ear. I covered them in an attempt to drown them out. I saw Sam panicking before he bolted for the exit. I quickly darted after him. With a flying leap I tackled him to the floor.

"I'm not done with you traitor!" I growled. I sunk my teeth into his neck and tore, effectively silencing his pleas. Like I promised, he was quickly dismembered. The screams ceased and I looked around, wondering what exactly happened. I walked to the exit and wound through the tunnels to come out into broad daylight. I flinched, expecting to catch fire or something but nothing happened. I opened my eyes and stared at the sun in the bright blue sky.

"Shit, he could be in the sun?" I cursed.

"Unless…" I ran my tongue over my teeth and was disappointed to find the fangs were still there. I knew what the outcome would be but I was hoping I was somehow cured. I sighed, thoroughly confused. Out of nowhere I was surrounded; not by vampires but by humans. They held no weapons and didn't look hostile. In fact, they were all new faces. For a moment I thought I stumbled upon a new group of humans but then I recognized the two men who dragged me and Dave in to fight. The group was all the vampires in this coven; they were cured. But why wasn't I?

"Um…hi?" I said uncertainly.

"Are you the one who killed Etrigan?" one woman asked. I nodded slowly, waiting for them to revolt. Some looked pissed while others looked relieved. Yet others looked like they were going to throw a fucking party.

"So now you are the one who will start it again?" a man questioned haltingly.

"It, what do you mean?" I asked.

"The next generation of vampires; you are the new leader and queen," another man explained.

"No, no, no, the vampires are gone for good. I'm not looking to make more," I responded. There were mixed reactions again.

"But you were bitten and chosen by Etrigan weren't you?" a women asked.

"Yes, but he forced me. I never wanted this," I answered.

"I guess…all that's left to fix are the rogues," one of the guards spoke up in a deep voice. I turned to him.

"Rogues; what rogues?" I asked.

"They are the vampires that lost all thinking processes. They are the ones whose only will is to kill and nothing else," he explained. I walked forward and they parted hurriedly. I didn't know if it was because they were scared or if it was a left over feeling of respect. I stopped and turned back to face them with a sigh.

"The only thing I can do at this point is take you to our ship. The humans there can help you," I told them. Some nodded thoughtfully.

"We know of other locations where humans are. We were going to slaughter them before the king lost himself in his infatuation with you," another man spoke.

"Good, we will search them out too, but for now we have to get to the docks. There will be no trouble with the rouges now that the sun is up," I pointed out. I began walking in the direction of the docks and surprisingly, they followed. I guessed that they had nothing better to do. Being human included the need for food and water which were not easily found out here. Silently, except for a few people whispering, we made our way out to the docks.

The ship was nowhere to be seen so we kept together and waited it out. As the sun set, someone started a fire. I stayed close while keeping an eye out for any potential danger. I was on a constant search. I knew most rogues in the area were probably captured and put to death in battles like the one I had to fight so I didn't worry too much. Any survivors were probably still locked up. In the middle of thought I realized that I had stayed up through the day.

"Another perk that greedy bastard probably kept to himself. I hope that ship speeds the fuck up. We need these people to survive," I muttered to myself. Through the whole night only one rogue showed up. It paced far from camp, deciding when to close in. When it finally decided to attack I was there to stop it. It ran straight forward, never seeing me coming at it from the side. I threw it to the ground and beheaded it with my bare hands. Everyone stared in either awe or fear when I came back to camp but they said nothing. By the time sunrise came I could see the ship on the horizon.

"Finally," I sighed. Dave had come through for me as always. People scurried to make signals from the smoke while others were shaken awake. The ship turned in our direction after minutes of signaling went by. The ship docked and let down a ramp. Now was the moment of truth. I was pretty damn sure this group would be accepted but I wasn't so sure about myself. I hoped they would let me live long enough to see Dave again. I knew he would want to see me again too. I had a few minutes left to wonder if Dave would be coming down that ramp to greet us or if some random people would instead. I waited just like everyone else, hoping Dave would show up.


	12. Chapter 12

**Funny how time seems to run away from you. Sorry to anyone who has been waiting but I simply lost track of time. I'm back though, and with a new chapter.**

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><p>Three people descended down the ramp. Dave stood in the middle while the burly man and another man flanked him on each side; they stood behind him a little so that together they formed an arrow. I was glad to see him again but I was not looking forward to seeing the burly man. I sighed and wrestled the anger down to agitation. We stood, waiting patiently, for the three armed men to come to a stop at the bottom.<p>

"Are you trying to win our good graces by finding more humans?" the burly man addressed me. I shook my head.

"No, I killed Etrigan of my own free will and brought back everyone who has been cured. It was only right to do," I replied.

"And you? You're still a vampire," he stated. I opened my mouth to reply but a man behind me stepped forward.

"If I may, she had been chosen against her will to lead the vampires by Etrigan. Since his death, everyone he has bitten has returned to being human. She is now leader but she does not wish to be. You will need her in the upcoming fight with the rogues though. They are already too far gone in the infection that they cannot be cured. Only her strength will get you through," he explained.

"And who are you to say such things?" the burly man responded.

"I was one of two advisers to Etrigan. I know his personal **and** battle information. I also doubled as a trainer for the fighters," he answered. I stared at the man and almost instantly recognized him as the monotone trainer who I encountered in the past. I was glad to see him this time around. Dave gestured for the group to come forward. They boarded the ship but I was stopped on my way towards it.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone," I said defensively. The burly man shook his head firmly.

"Let her on," Dave scolded the man quietly. The man grudgingly stepped away. I smirked and looked at Dave.

"Thanks," I replied. He nodded. The two men followed him back into the ship and I followed behind them. Everyone stared at me wherever I went. While the newcomers were taken to find them a place to stay I wandered the ship examining everyone's expressions out of the corner of my eyes. Some looked bewildered and I guessed that they were confused to why I was left to wander the ship unattended.

After my examination I made my way to the room Dave and I shared, careful to enter the back way. I paused and scanned the room, then strode to the wardrobe. I threw open the doors and dug in a suitcase at the bottom. I unearthed my spare suit and rushed to the bathroom. A quick shower and a change of clothes later I was comfortable. Only then did I realize I could not walk around as my real self, Mindy Macready. The comparison my condition made would be too obvious.

"I guess I'm stuck as Hit-Girl forever," I said to myself as I looked in the mirror. My skin was noticeably paler and my eyes were a darker shade of blue. I knew with enough hunger they would be black. I sighed and turned away. I sat on my bed and leaned back on the pillows, absentmindedly playing with my mask. My distraught thoughts easily distracted me for the hour that passed until Dave came into the room. His scent burned through my senses and my eyes flew to rest on him.

"Dave, are you feeling ok?" I stated, fluidly getting to my feet. He smiled tiredly.

"Yeah, I am. So, are you going to ditch the wig and cape now?" he asked as he examined me. I smirked.

"I don't need all that anymore. Who am I kidding? I don't need to look good for anyone any more. Everyone hates that I exist; there's no escaping that," I responded, crossing my arms and leaning to rest on my right leg.

"That doesn't mean give up on your inspirational hero look," he teased. I watched him cautiously as he took slow steps forward. He took my hand in his and loosened my fingers so that he could get my mask out. He set it on the desk and took my hands again.

"Mindy, I know being here will be hard on you and everyone else but they will get over it I'm sure. Maybe they'll see that you're still the same person once we track down the rest of the rogues? Either way they have nothing to worry about and neither do you," he reasoned, bringing a hand up to raise my chin. I closed my eyes and sighed with slight frustration.

"What about the fact that they're still food to me? What then Dave? I still need to feed. I don't want to hurt anyone though," I reminded him. He thought for some time before his eyes lit up.

"Donation," he replied simply. I smirked slyly and slowly backed him up against the wall. He caught on and a mischievous smile slid onto his features despite his slight nervousness. I growled playfully, letting my ungloved hands trail down his arms.

"Will you be the donor?" I asked quietly. He leaned closer.

"Only if you want me to be," he replied. I smiled and closed the gap between us. He kissed me with abandon while I held back, careful not to give into the steadily building urge to bite into him. I could hear his heart beat and his blood pulse rapidly through his body under his quiet moans. I pushed away from him after a few seconds more. We were both panting but for two very different reasons.

"Fuck," I cursed. He studied my face.

"I'm sorry, I'll try not to set you off," he said sheepishly.

I reached out to brush my hand across his cheek before turning away and putting distance between us.

"What have you told everyone about me? Not Hit-Girl, Mindy," I asked after letting some time pass.

"I told them you went missing on a scouting mission. I didn't know what else to say. Maybe we can pretend like I found you so you don't have to always be in that suit," he offered. I shook my head.

"No, it's too hard hiding what I am and I don't want any more controversy. Mindy Macready is lost to everyone but you. It's better that way. Plus, it's not that bad being in this suit," I said with some humor. He smiled.

"I'm glad you're here," he told me.

"I know, even though you're the only one who wants me around," I pointed out. He shrugged.

"The hardest part will be persuading the others to see you as you were and not as a threat. It will be much easier when they look up to you again," he said. I nodded.

"I doubt that will be any time soon," I replied.

"Well, you never know, maybe-" he began but a knock on the door cut him off. We both turned to the door and then to look back at each other.

"I'll get it," I said. He retreated into the bathroom while I went to the door. I pulled it open to see the little girl I had saved standing in the doorway. I tilted my head curiously. She glanced at the floor before her steady eyes locked with mine.

"So you're back; supposedly. To me you aren't the same but everyone is talking. Did you really kill Etrigan?" she asked skeptically. I nodded. She squinted her eyes at me; like she was trying to find something. Her eyes finally cleared and she smirked.

"You really aren't any different than before, are you?" she questioned.

"I'm still the same. I will fight to keep everyone safe," I answered.

"I'm sure you will. The rogues won't know what hit them," she said before turning and walking away. I shut the door and looked at Dave who walked into the room. He was smiling.

"What brought that on?" I wondered.

"I'm betting some people actually believe you are who you say you are," he said.

"That's helpful," I commented while I dug through a drawer. He nodded thoughtfully. We sat in silence on our bed, enjoying the rarely quiet relaxation time. I had changed into clothes to put Dave at ease. He told me that he felt like I would disappear on him. He started dozing off after a while.

"Do you need some sleep?" I asked, as I sat up to look at him. His eyes opened again and he turned his head to look at me.

"Aren't you going to sleep during the day?" he questioned. I shook my head.

"Being Etrigan's heir keeps me safe from sunlight. I don't need sleep. Who knows what else I can do," I recited. His eyes widened.

"He could do that? Shit," he replied.

"That's what I thought. Greedy fucking bastard," I said with a frown.

"Well, I'm going to get some sleep. Do you mind waking me up around seven?" he mumbled with a yawn at the end. I smiled and reached out to lay a hand on his face.

"Sure," I replied. He held my hand to his face and sighed.

"Tomorrow we can show you off to the others. It'll take some time but we should work towards trust again," he suggested.

"Yeah I know. Get some sleep Dave. I'm not going anywhere," I responded. He let me pull my hand away then he turned on his side to get comfortable. I relaxed on my back and stared up at the ceiling, letting my thoughts wander and feeling the waves rock the boat beneath me.


	13. Chapter 13

**Whoo! First chapter of the New Year! Now I'll be listing first everythings for a while like I always do until I get bored, tired, or forget. I think New Years should include a newly included character don't you think? **

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><p>My thoughts laid scattered in my mind up until seven when I woke up Dave. He left to take a shower and then I took one after him. Dave put on his Kick-Ass attire while I returned to wearing my suit; then we left to start my integration back into human society. Like before, everyone stared as I passed. Dave waved and even stopped to talk while I looked around. I opted to stay quiet and just familiarize myself with the surroundings I already knew but now saw in a different stand point.<p>

I felt that I shouldn't talk to anyone unless I was spoken to, that way they could come to me on their own and I wouldn't seem like a threat. I was determined to show them that I had control; that I was every bit as like-minded as them; that I could be trusted and an individual they didn't have to fear. Dave took me with him to see the captain after our walk. When we got there, the captain gave me a dirty look. I fought to hold back a sneer.

"What do you need?" the captain asked Kick-Ass. I noted the slight hostility in his tone.

"We have to head for land soon. We must track down the remaining rogues before they get out of hand," he answered. The captain raised his eyebrows.

"I've heard of this from a few newcomers but I didn't think we would actually do it. Do you think it's possible?" he asked. Kick-Ass nodded.

"With the help of the newcomers I think we will be able to find most of them. If anyone wants to volunteer they can but Hit-Girl and I are ready to go alone. Whatever it takes to exterminate them," Kick-Ass responded. The captain glanced at me again.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer," I commented with crossed arms. The captain was momentarily shocked before he glared. Kick-Ass looked at me pointedly and shook his head in warning. I knew I wasn't helping but my attitude got the best of me.

"What?" I asked. He sighed before turning back to the captain.

"I'll come back with information on the whereabouts of the rogues," he said. The captain nodded and went back to steering. Kick-Ass grabbed my arm with a frown and led me out. When we were alone in the hall he turned on me.

"Try to be a little considerate. I know having a strong…opinion is your thing but it isn't helping the situation. You can't be intimidating right now," he reminded me. I huffed out a breath and nodded.

"You're right. I'm sorry. Tough has always been my defense. I'll stay quiet if I feel like saying something unneeded," I said sincerely.

"Good, I'm hungry so let's head to the cafeteria. They should have something I can pick up and take to the room," he said. He walked off and I followed. The girl from before caught up with us as we walked; I sensed her coming before she even reached us but I said nothing. Kick-Ass did a double take when she appeared by his side.

"What are you doing here? Where are your mom and dad?" he questioned curiously.

"I'm exploring to kill time. They don't know I snuck away but if I told them where I was going they wouldn't have let me," she responded with a shrug. Her eyes momentarily found mine before she looked away. I smirked.

"Wanted to gawk at me like everyone else, don't you? Except, you aren't afraid like they are; I could sense that in you back when we met. You have courage that they don't quite want to dig up. Not many have helped our cause but the majority of the few that do end up dead. What's your deal? Are you trying to get on my good side? Do you have your own agenda or are you just curious?" I interrogated her; trying not to sound hostile. She laughed without humor.

"Don't kid yourself bloodsucker. I'm not here to force you to like me. I'm not a suck up; in the literal or metaphorical sense," she stated. I smiled at her morbid joke.

"I'm only here to study you. I believe that you are still you but **something** must have changed in your hardwiring and I want to know what," she continued.

"Big words coming from someone so small, but I can't guarantee you will like what you see. I may be me in every sense of the word but I am also…different. I can't deny certain things," I responded. I didn't like the small amount of unnerving tone present in my voice. Dave stayed quiet, no doubt listening intently to our little exchange without being intrusive.

"It doesn't matter what you've done or will do from now on. I want to understand," she persevered. An idea occurred to me but it must have registered on my face because Kick-Ass was immediately attuned to my actions.

"You sure you won't be put off by anything upsetting?" I asked nonchalantly while my stare pinned her in place. I made sure my smirk revealed fang and my gaze translated my constant yearning to quench my undying thirst. Her eyes widened momentarily before she steeled herself. I had to admit she had unwavering determination.

"You can't scare me away," she stuttered out. Kick-Ass glanced at me and frowned but said nothing. I knew it was his silent way of understanding I didn't want this girl following me around.

"You should; after all, you are food," I commented. I saw her shiver and her step faltered. She looked spooked this time but she remained firm. She was beginning to remind me of myself more and more. She stayed silent after that. We arrived at the cafeteria not too long later. The girl excused herself when we were about to enter.

"I'm going to get something too. Catch up with you guys later," she said. She pulled open the door but I stopped her before she could leave.

"Hey, what's your name?" I asked. She hesitated but answered any way.

"Sasha," she replied. I nodded.

"See you around Sasha," I responded.

"Get used to it," she shot back before leaving. The door swung shut behind her. Reluctantly, I found myself smiling.

"I like her," I confessed grudgingly, turning to Kick-Ass. He smiled too.

"Yeah, she's a lot like you. When you were gone, she had a knack of reminding me of you," he said quietly.

"Come on. Let's go get you something to eat," I said, dodging the emptiness brought to the conversation. He nodded and led the way inside. After breakfast we hurried over to see the newcomers. They were grouped at one part of the ship, possibly for comfort reasons but it could have been because they didn't know anyone besides each other or they were not assimilating as well to the others. After talking to the trainer, whose name was Demetrius, we secured a location where the coven would go to gather rogues. A few of them offered to go but I refused. I didn't want to lose our new additions.

"Kick-Ass and I will report back to the captain and take care of it ourselves," I told Demetrius. He nodded sagely.

"I understand, but you know where to find us if needed," he said. I paused at his choice of words and decided now was the best time to ask.

"Do you feel that you have to serve me or what? Because I hope you know I won't ask you to; any of you for that matter. I'm nothing like that heartless ass. You're your own people now," I reminded him and everyone present.

"I can't speak for everyone, but I think most feel that we owe you for freeing us," Demetrius spoke up with a small smile.

"No problem," I replied. I glanced at Kick-Ass before turning and walking back to the captain. Kick-Ass followed quietly. When we had to communicate, Kick-Ass took the lead with the people that know him best while I handled the newcomers because they felt I was still their leader in some sense. I liked how Dave and I knew this without asking. It was something we felt and understood. When we made it back to square one, Kick-Ass stopped me at the door.

"Wait outside while I talk to him. You know, to keep the mood light," he told me with a half assed smile. I knew that was his 'sorry to exclude you' smile. I shrugged and took a step back.

"Do what you have to do," I responded. Relief covered his expression. He pushed open the door and entered, shutting it behind him. I could hear the captain greet him happily before they started a conversation concerning locations and maps. I lost interest quickly in favor of a familiar scent drawing near. I smiled; knowing that Sasha had found us again.


	14. Chapter 14

**Second day of the New Year and I'm still counting and or listing crap like I mentioned last chapter. Reviews give feedback so feel free to review. Both authors and random readers are welcome.**

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><p>She came around the corner with a frown and irritation in her glare. I watched her steadily as she walked towards me and stopped to stand right in front of me. I remained quiet and let her begin the conversation.<p>

"You guys left quickly. Was it to ditch me?" she accused. Her hands went to her hips and I had to stop myself from laughing at her supposedly imposing stance.

"It **is** possible we didn't want to be interrupted while we gathered information," I replied calmly while I gauged her reaction. She stomped her foot. I let myself smile shortly before letting it drop off my features.

"I told you I would be following you around. Get used to it," she reminded me forcefully.

"Why haven't your parents said anything yet? I know for a fact your father doesn't like me. Your mother seems nice enough. I'm guessing you're sneaking away again. What are you going to do if they catch you and forbid you to come near me; then what?" I asked.

"I won't get caught. I'll come up with an excuse, anything to keep you in my sights," she answered.

"Why are you so interested? Are you waiting for anything amazing to happen? You think my situation is at all fun? Nothing good will come of my actions besides making this hellhole a safer environment. I care enough not to let the human population die out but I'm not above thinking of you as something to eat. My instinct tells me to. Hell, I'm thinking about the possibility of sinking my teeth into you even now. Maybe every time you're around too. I can hear that other voice in the back of my head bugging me to no fucking end. I think that way about all of you yet you insist on following me around and making it harder to ignore that part of me," I cautioned her with a grimace.

"I told you already, you can't scare me," she said. Her voice was a little uneven despite her claim.

"I'm not trying to scare you. It's the honest and serious truth. I just thought I should let you know the risks you're taking," I replied. Her eyebrows knit together with a hint of worry but at that moment Kick-Ass stepped out and the worry washed away.

"Hey Sasha, fancy meeting you here," he greeted her jovially. I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow at him. He gave me a puzzled expression and I just shook my head at him. We walked towards the loading station and I listened while Kick-Ass reiterated the information he got from the captain.

"Good, our first lead. Do you have everything you need?" I asked to make sure. He shook his head.

"What more do you need besides a good weapon and determination?" he asked.

"Just making sure," I said. The three of us waited by the loading station, overlooking the waters beyond and land beyond that. We had to wait for the captain to get close to the marked location.

"So you guys are going back on land alone?" Sasha suddenly asked.

"We don't want to endanger anyone else," Kick-Ass answered.

"What if you run into a lot of them?" She questioned.

"Easy, I've done it before by myself. Kick-Ass will just make it easier," I answered her this time. She fell quiet and I spent the time watching her subtly. I saw her eyes peek at me every once in a while. She would stare at my face with intense examination before they flicked to my neck and hands. I still hadn't put my gloves on because I had them tucked in my belt so I knew what must have caught her eye.

When she continued her study of me her expression registered horror. She looked at my hand resting on the rail of the ship and slowly reached out to trace a scar. I wanted to pull away but managed to stay still. Kick-Ass noticed the interaction and turned his gaze to us. She traced one of the many bite marks and then followed the curve of another. Her eyes returned to my neck. I knew I was bitten there more than once too.

"What happened to you?" she whispered. I finally averted my gaze. It took me some time to answer but I still did.

"I was in a battle against a huge group of rogues to test my abilities. I won obviously but the injuries I received could not be all the way healed even for me. I almost didn't make it through. If I ever come across a group of rogues, I'm sure they will never have numbers as high as what I had to face. Knowing that, I'm sure this will be easy," I replied mechanically. I pulled away from the contact and looked out at the fast approaching docks. We were here.

"Go back to your parents. I think you know that we aren't bringing you along," I told her evenly. She stood glued to her spot for a few seconds before turning and walking away. Kick-Ass got my attention when he turned to look at me with a sad frown.

"In a depressed and twisted way, I think you have her respect," he told me.

"I just hope she understands that this wasn't my choice; that I hate what I've become regardless of its benefits. I hate myself for having to kill or harm others. My profession has always been full of deaths but it was to save innocent lives from those willing to kill with bad intentions. Now, I'm the killer and it doesn't matter who I take once I lose control," I explained in a dejected manner. Kick-Ass placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You're doing fine so far," he stated. He dropped his hand and turned to lower the boat that would take us to the docks. I pushed aside my self-conflict to clear my thoughts. I pulled my gloves on and helped him. Demetrius advised us not to let the ship get too close because rogues ran rampant in these parts and would, if given the chance, climb on board so we relayed this to the captain. Dave and I headed for the docks in total silence. My mind went through tactics to use in a fight now that I didn't have my bow staff anymore. I was left with only one choice but I didn't like it. My face must have registered with how I felt because Dave grabbed my hand.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I don't have a weapon. I'll have to use hand to hand combat," I replied, hoping he would get my insinuation. He paused in confusion.

"Why is that a problem?" he wondered.

"We both know punches won't stop them," I continued.

"Are you scared?" he asked.

"No, I'm only worried I'll turn on you. Without my weapon I have to resort to my only other means of attacking; my claws, teeth, and base instinct. My weapon was the only thing rooting me to a clearer part of my mind. I've been in that other frame of mind and I could easily get stuck there again," I explained. He looked just as uncertain.

"I'll run or hide if I have to until you come to your senses I guess," he replied after some silence.

"Promise me you won't try to calm me down or try to fight me," I demanded.

"I promise," he answered honestly. The boat stopped at the dock and Kick-Ass jumped out to tie it. I hopped out and surveyed our surroundings. My eyes caught the minute movement of every object the wind pushed. My hearing picked up on every sound in range. My nose scented the monsters nearby; still asleep and waiting for the night to come in a couple hours.

"Let's start as soon as possible. If we catch them when they're sleeping we can save energy for the fights later at night," Kick-Ass suggested.

"Will we stop when you can't fight anymore or what? I can go on for days with the right fuel if I have to," I said.

"I forgot about that. Yeah, we will stop when I can't handle anymore," he agreed. I gave him a stern glare.

"Don't push yourself Dave. Right when you begin to feel tired or obtain a dangerous injury we are backing out. Even if we only kill two," I warned him.

"I know," he replied with a nod.

"I'm serious Dave," I continued.

"I know. Thank you," he said sincerely.

"Good, now let's hunt down some rogues," I said as I cracked my knuckles. We ran to the closest building with me in the lead. I couldn't help but compare myself to a bloodhound leading its owner to a quarry. We busted into the building which set off a chain reaction. Some walls fell down from the force, letting the sunlight in.

Inhuman screams filled the air and fire lit the place up when they combusted. We retreated to repeat the process to any unlucky rogues I happened to find. I was feeling good about the amount we were executing. I felt like my old purpose was back for good. It was about fucking time. I was having a blast, but by the time the sun was beginning to set, I became more and more alert. Soon night would fall and we would be fighting our way back to the docks.


	15. Chapter 15

**What to do when relatives come and live with you a while because they want to visit. Too much extra things to consider that's what. I lost track of time again and sleep is not working out so I hope I'm updating this fast like I said I would.**

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><p>I heard them moving through the ruins. They were out there bidding their time before attacking us. I stayed close to Kick-Ass, ready for anything that might happen. It took some time before they decided to do anything though. I didn't know if it was fear or respect that kept them away but they began closing in eventually. The first one launched out from a crevice next to Kick-Ass. I was dealing with another at the same time so I couldn't help him. They were trying to ambush us. Kick-Ass had unsheathed the hidden swords from his batons so it only took a precise swipe to behead the monster. I tore the head clean off the one that attacked me.<p>

"Here they come. Stay on guard and keep going straight. The docks are up ahead. Don't stop for me. I'll resort to other methods once you get some distance away," I said hurriedly. I kicked a rogue away from me.

"Ok, but don't fall too far behind," he grunted out as he deflected an attack and knocked a rogue down. It fell on its back and Kick-Ass swung down into the neck. After a few kills and blood stained the area as well as my hands, I pulled off my gloves and let my claws form. Dave was far enough so I unleashed brute force on any who attacked. I mowed them down easier from then on. I made enough progress to catch up close to Dave. My mind was still wary of him enough that I didn't see him as something to eat.

I tried feeding on the rogues a few times to keep myself busy just in case. Dave smelled far better though. He broke through a group not too far ahead and dashed for the wooden planks of the docks. I tore through two more rogues and threw the last one out of the way. They stopped before getting close to the docks. I glanced back once to see them retreat back into the broken city. I slowed to a steady walk and tried to bring myself down from the high of bloodlust. Kick-Ass waited patiently on the dock next to the boat.

"You going to be ok?" he asked with a tilt of his head. He looked a little worried. For what, I didn't know.

"Yeah, I think I'm fine," I mumbled. I could feel the need to run out there and kill pulse through me still. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. On my way to the boat I pulled my gloves back on. I stopped in front of Kick-Ass and waited.

"You look fine. Besides the gore of course, but when do we ever walk away from a fight without some?" he reassured me. I nodded and took the hand he offered me. We entered the boat and headed back to the ship. I concentrated on the briny sea air instead of the scent coming off Dave next to me. The trip back successfully cleared my head so by the time we were back on the ship I was in full control. We were away longer than I expected. The sun was only a few hours away.

"I'm actually looking forward to that again," I commented to Kick-Ass. He laughed.

"I'm sure you are. We need to go back there anyways. We missed some," he replied.

"Yeah well you need the rest so we had to stop," I said. He looked at me with a smile and then looked away. We were walking back to our room when Sasha came bounding up to us. I groaned and Kick-Ass chuckled.

"What are you doing up?" I demanded sternly. I could see her glare clearly in the dark.

"Waiting for you guys of course. So did you find them?" she replied.

"Can't you tell?" I asked bluntly, gesturing to my suit. Kick-Ass nudged me.

"Is that…blood?" she questioned. Her face took on a disgusted quality.

"Yes," I replied. She put a little more distance between us. We continued our walk but she wouldn't be silenced. Kick-Ass stayed quiet though. I knew it was his way of silent evaluation.

"I had to sneak out again to see you two. I half thought you would come back dragging him with you," she mentioned. My temper shot up a notch. A growl was seconds away from leaving my mouth but Dave laid a calming hand on my arm.

"Why? I have control," I retorted.

"Some, but I was told it's hard to maintain it. I hear people talk about you all the time. You haven't given them a reason to be scared of you yet but how long until a slip up happens?" she pondered. I knew she was just trying to get under my skin; the little brat.

"Yet? There is no yet; I'm the one keeping this ship safe. It's my duty. Do you really think I would put anyone in harm's way? Plus, who are you to accuse me of such things?" I asked incredulously. She only shrugged. We were getting close to the back entrance of our room so I stopped Sasha in her tracks.

"Look, how about you get some sleep and tomorrow you can go back to following us around again like a lost little puppy," I suggested.

"Fine, but let's meet up in the cafeteria tomorrow ok?" she replied, not even a bit fazed. I nodded and Kick-Ass did too.

"You have to promise not to go off without me," she said, holding her hand out. I looked down at it and then rolled my eyes. I took hold of her hand and shook it a little roughly.

"Sick," she replied when I let her hand go. Blood stained her palm.

"See you," I said before walking off.

"We'll look for you," Kick-Ass added before following me. After we were well away from Sasha I pushed Kick-Ass lightly.

"What did I do?" he asked innocently.

"You know full fucking well. I don't want her stuck to our sides all the damn time," I told him.

"Then why did you promise?" he asked.

"That doesn't mean I was going to do it. I don't give a shit what she thinks of me so breaking a promise wouldn't matter. How can you encourage her into something that can clearly kill her?" I questioned him.

"As I recall, you were gung ho about any sort of killing at her age," he pointed out.

"That's different. I was trained to be and still am. She's just an ordinary kid," I argued.

"That's not the way she sees it. You know, of all the kids on this ship Sasha was one of the quiet ones. I think she may have gotten an idea from someone she looks up to and decided to become a stronger person," he suggested. I was about to write that off but then I remembered the first time I met Sasha face to face. I had told her father not to shelter her too much because I wasn't at her age. I groaned as we entered our room. Now that I thought about it, she did look thoughtful back in that boat.

"What's up?" Dave asked as he pulled his mask off. I pulled off my gloves and mask then turned to him.

"I think I may have been the one to unintentionally give her ideas," I told him; setting my mask and gloves on the desk.

"Why do you say that?" he wondered. He was taking off his suit and finding a towel while I stripped to take a quick shower. When I came back into the room Dave was leaning over a map at the desk. Our suits were tied in a black bag in the corner where they would wait to be cleaned later. I could still smell the blood.

"What are you doing?" I asked, coming up behind him to look at the map over his shoulder.

"Checking the other locations where there are rogue hideouts. This one is supposedly the biggest one and it's the farthest inland. Demetrius showed me human locations too. Sooner or later we have to help them," he answered.

"This ship can only hold so much. We just found about fifteen people from that coven alone. Then there are the people who have been hiding and then anyone who survived the rogues after being cured," I said.

"I know that, but we should save who we can and hope the others do fine on their own. I was told that some humans have taken a boat or ship like us and are sailing around," he replied.

"Why haven't we seen them?" I asked.

"Maybe they're skittish and tend to keep to themselves plus we only follow a certain route," he predicted. I nodded thoughtfully. We perused the map some more before Dave took his shower and went to bed. I stayed seated at the desk but soon got up to wash off my suit. It was my only one so I had to keep it in shape. As I worked I wondered how in the world we were going to start turning the tide of survival.


	16. Chapter 16

**Am I falling behind in updates? I don't know but I feel like I am. Got another chapter down anyways. R&R Please**

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><p>The next morning we met Sasha at the cafeteria like she wanted. Once she showed up, her and Dave had breakfast while I waited.<p>

"Hey Dave, I didn't know you knew HG," Sasha commented. I allowed myself a small smile at the nickname. I glanced at Dave expectantly.

"Well you see, I'm good friends with Mindy Macready and she knows Hit-Girl so we kind of know each other. Right Hit-Girl?" he explained, aiming the last question at me.

"Yep, and I know Dave as a citizen of this ship but also because he knows Kick-Ass. Me and Kick-Ass are partners," I answered in agreement. She nodded slowly and smiled. I didn't like the way she did it either.

"If you have anything you need to finish you should go do it. I'll keep young Sasha company," I offered with a pointed stare at Dave. He nodded and hurriedly jumped from his seat. When he left, I quickly towed Sasha off to a part of the ship I used to go to back when I freely wandered as Mindy; back when I wanted to relax. No one ever really went there. I released her hand and walked over to the rail were I leaned heavily on it. I crossed my arms and closed my eyes. Sasha joined me after some hesitation.

"You're Mindy aren't you?" she asked quietly. The question didn't surprise me. I knew she had figured it out. I looked at her, only seeing understanding.

"Yeah," I sighed.

"Then Dave is KA," she concluded. I only nodded.

"Keep your mouth shut though. Having different identities helps give us down time…or, at least Dave can still get that," I told her.

"Why would I tell? This is so cool! I know who you guys really are!" she said with suppressed excitement. I could see the twinkle in her eyes.

"Back there…you called me HG like I sometimes hear in the past. I…um, thank you," I replied, finally looking up to meet her appreciative gaze.

"No problem," she said proudly.

"What made you trust me? I remember the anger you displayed when I saved you," I reminded her.

"Oh, yeah, sorry I acted that way. It's just that, when I saw you I couldn't believe what happened at first. I was angry such a powerful person could fall to those worthless things. I guess I felt let down, but that's why I started following you around. I had to give myself proof that you are still the same person I look up to; angry attitude, threats, and all," she explained.

"Great, it figures I would have a fan who likes what I like," I teased, slightly flattered. She smiled.

"Want to go find Dave? He should be all suited up," I said.

"Wait so you guys have been keeping two different lives? Wow, you fooled all of us. How come you don't walk around as Mindy anymore?" she wondered.

"It's too risky. The comparison can't be hidden. I have to stay this way," I replied.

"But don't you think they will put two and two together?" she questioned.

"No, they aren't as sharp as you," I disagreed. She laughed.

"Yeah I guess that makes sense. Hey HG, could I…could I see you without the mask?" she asked quietly. I sighed and looked away before standing up to my full height. I reached up and pulled the mask off. I didn't look at her for some time. Then I flicked my gaze up to her. She tilted her head as she studied me.

"The only change is the tone of your skin and maybe your eyes. They just got darker. People would definitely question how pale you are though if you walked around as Mindy. Oh and the fangs might show," she said bluntly.

"Kid, you are too much," I commented, putting the mask back on. I walked passed her and stopped a few steps behind her. When she turned I gestured to follow me. She jogged over and together we wandered the ship, waiting for Kick-Ass to find us. A careless mistake on Sasha's part caused her angry father to find us instead. She wanted to get something from their cabin and when she snuck back out, her father followed.

"Gotcha young lady; you're coming back to the room!" he yelled. He clamped a massive hand on her shoulder from behind. His appearance pulled forth anger from my memories. The tone he used was close to the one he used when he came to beat me up with his friends down in the hold.

"Hey, she isn't doing anything wrong!" I countered, pushing his hand off her shoulder.

"You will do well to not interfere, 'Hit-Girl'. At this time of need Kick-Ass should lead us not you. For all we know you're just leading us into a trap," he accused.

"No father, it's really her. She wants to keep us safe," Sasha interrupted. He sneered and turned away.

"I don't want to catch you near my daughter again," he threatened. Sasha looked hurt.

"And you aren't allowed to be seen with **it** either," he shot at Sasha. She visibly deflated.

"Don't you see what you do to her? She looks for a role model in someone else because you fail to show her what's right. You can't get passed your prejudice. Why can't you see that it hurts her?" I demanded in a slowly rising voice.

"Don't tell me how to raise my child!" he bellowed. He backhanded me across the face in rage. I stumbled but all the blow did was fuel my fury. A crowd had gathered by now but I didn't care. I had seen the attack coming and I didn't bother to stop him. I didn't want to be the first to engage the fight that I knew would happen but I sure as hell wanted to end it. He advanced on me and pushed me towards the rail of the ship. My back bumped it and my hands gripped the rail; bending it as I tried to reel in the animalistic rage.

"Fight you demon!" he commanded. He punched me this time. A feral growl escaped me and I leveled him with a deadly glare. He moved away momentarily but came at me again. I caught his fist easily and twisted. He cried out and fell to his knees. I grabbed his neck with my other hand. My whole being wanted to kill this man. The crowd seemed frozen but only one person moved forward.

"Stop! Stop! You're going to kill him! Please!" a familiar, young, voice called to me. Small hands gripped at my arms. I turned to see Sasha with a face full of tears. I slowly came to my senses and my grip relaxed. I dropped the man and backed away. Sasha kept a grip on my arm with both hands but didn't go to her father. Kick-Ass shoved the crowd apart at that moment.

"Please excuse me. Excuse me please," he said as he made his way to us. He helped the man to his feet and guided him in the opposite direction. Then he came back and stood in front of me. I looked down in shame. I let it get the better of me. I softly shook off Sasha, jumped the rail, and plummeted off the side of the ship. I hit the water and immediately took off for land. I heard both Kick-Ass and Sasha call to me but I ignored them. I knew Dave might come for me later but I had confidence that he would leave me alone to rethink things.

He knew I needed a cool down but the anger would not leave me. When I reached land I let loose. With a roar of pure rage I bolted to the closest building and leveled it to the ground. I tracked down sleeping rogues and slaughtered them. I kept this up until night fell and they flowed out to retaliate. They didn't stand a chance. My senses branched out and easily found the previous site we had fought at. A swarm of rogues met their end. By the time I cooled down, the few rogues that survived were smart enough to flee. I was covered in blood again but I was calm.

"What the fuck was that?" I wondered aloud. I figured it was built up and bottled anger. Whatever it was, I felt better now. I got up from my resting spot on the edge of a building and jumped. I landed lightly and began my walk back to the docks. I let my senses guide me in the direction of the ship. The high concentration of human scents would lead me back. I caught up to the ship when it sailed close to the docks; a sure sign that Dave was looking for me. I jumped in the water and swam swiftly over to it. When I climbed on board I was met with a sad Sasha and a worried Dave. He was out of his suit. There was no one else that I could see.

"Are you ok?" Dave asked. I nodded.

"I told everyone to stay in their rooms for now. Just until you get…comfortable," he explained.

"I'm sorry," was all I could say.

"It's ok Mindy. He isn't the easiest person to get along with," Sasha said. The way she said it made it sound like she was apologizing for her father's actions.

"I'm just glad I didn't kill him," I responded.

"I'm able to see you still. My mom heard all the commotion and had a big fight with my dad. As long as you don't confront him you should be fine," she explained. Dave smiled at me in encouragement. I sighed.

"Come on kid," I said as I nudged her forward. I may not have liked dealing with a replica of my own attitude but she was growing on me.


	17. Chapter 17

**I have reached an end for this in my head but it might be a little rushed. I don't know how else to change it but oh well. Just keep reading and see. The ending won't be for another two or three chapters.**

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><p>We walked Sasha to her room and then Dave and I headed back to ours. By morning we set out for another location except this time we were on the lookout for surviving humans. After a quick trip to the captain to relay information, which I had to wait outside for, we said good bye to Sasha on the way out.<p>

"We'll be back as soon as we can ok?" Kick-Ass told her. She nodded. We lowered a boat and made our way to land. Once we stood on the dock with the boat tethered I turned to Kick-Ass.

"So, where exactly are they?" I asked.

"The map was marked a little further in but that's all it said. Can't you smell them?" he replied curiously. I huffed out a breath.

"I'm not your personal blood hound," I complained voicing my thoughts from earlier, before setting off with purposeful strides. He ran to catch up.

"I know you aren't, I'm sorry. It was just a suggestion," he said. Despite my irritation I was easily tracking them down. The wind blew their scent to me. I ignored his apologies and continued forward. I stopped suddenly and held out a hand to silence Kick-Ass.

"Did you find them?" he asked. I nodded while I crouched and tilted my head to listen.

"They hollowed out a space underground like the vampire coven. The ground is weak here. Stand back, I'm breaking in," I told him. He backed away like he was told. I swung my fist back and then let it fly forward. It dug deep into the dirt ground and cracked easily under the blow. I tried again and again and again until I felt the ground start to give in and crumble. I could hear the shouts and screams of the people below.

"Get ready to deal with some angry people," I called to Kick-Ass as I stood and leaped from the collapsing ground. I landed swiftly next to him and dusted off my suit.

"Of course, I have to deal with them," he replied knowingly. He muttered about my unconventional habit of accomplishing tasks with violence, but I wasn't paying attention.

"Well you're the one with social skills. People never liked my attitude. Plus, they won't listen to a vampire remember?" I responded honestly. The ground finally settled and a hole sat in front of us.

"After you," I said, turning to Kick-Ass. He looked at me with exasperation before walking forward, waving away the dust in the air.

"Come on," he gestured to me. I followed behind him. He crouched at the edge of the hole and looked in. A small group of people were gathered below, looking back up at him. The rubble had created an uneven ramp down to them with the way it fell in.

"What the fuck is your problem you freak?" a man yelled up at Kick-Ass.

"Um hey, we came here to rescue you. We have a safe ship out at the docks. Will you join us?" he called to them.

"Who are you?" a woman questioned.

"I'm Kick-Ass and this is my partner Hit-Girl," he answered as he pointed to himself and then me.

"I'm Jared, the leader of this group. You say you can help us?" a strongly built man spoke up from the front.

"Yes, we can take you to safety," I repeated. He turned to the group expectantly. Slowly, the people began climbing the rubble. We backed up so that they could get out. One of the last ones out was a woman who tripped at the top. I jumped forward and grabbed her hand at the last moment and pulled her up and out. She smiled in embarrassment and was about to thank me but when she looked up at me she screamed. Everyone was at attention now.

"Get away from me!" she screamed and pushed me away. She ran to a man in the crowd who jogged out to her.

"You're one of them! Was this a trick?" Jared shouted at me.

"No, I'm on your side," I protested. Kick-Ass walked out to block me from their angry insults.

"Quiet! She isn't going to hurt you," he contradicted.

"How do **we** know that?" an older man shot back. The rest of them easily were riled into a wild frenzy again.

"Shut up!" I shouted on the verge of a snarl. They fell silent instantly and stared at me. I pushed Kick-Ass out of my way and stomped towards them.

"I choose not to be a danger to you but it would help if you were civil. We're here to help. If you want to live somewhere safe, then come with us. If not, we're leaving without you," I proposed. They remained quiet so I turned and walked away. Kick-Ass was giving me a look but followed me anyways. Slowly, the group followed my lead too.

"You didn't have to do that," Kick-Ass told me.

"What a bunch of ass holes. I had to do something. I'm tired of trying to help and all I get for it is shit. I still care for people, but no one can see that so fuck what they think about me. I'll do whatever it takes; at least I know they're safe," I replied. He watched me for a few seconds more before turning away, unwilling to contradict me. We led them back to the docks with sunlight to spare. As we waited for the ship to arrive I had to endure the many heated stares. My temper was slowly rising. I was glad when the ship finally docked. I really didn't want another scene. The ramp was lowered so the newcomers could board while Kick-Ass and I secured the small boat to be hauled back on deck.

"That wasn't so bad right?" he asked me as we walked up the ramp and on deck. I walked carefully so I didn't come close to being near the sensitive newbies. I gave him an 'are you kidding?' look and pointedly turned away. Sasha glued herself to our side as always. We were going to go straight to our room so Dave could get out of his suit but she insisted that we follow her. She took me to a part of the ship I rarely visited; the harvesting room. It was a warm, glass enclosure much like a mini green house, were we grew anything we could.

"So, why are you bringing us here?" I asked her for the third time.

"Just trust me," she replied every time. I sighed and trudged forward. We entered the green house and walked all the way to the back were a petite woman stood tending some of the plants. Her features looked familiar to me and her scent reminded me of Sasha. It was then that I put it together. But of course, Kick-Ass knew everyone. I didn't really socialize like he did.

"Mrs. Harvey, it's so nice to see you. Taking care of the greenery again?" Kick-Ass spoke up heartedly. He reached forward to shake her hand. She laughed.

"No need to be so formal. Call me Jane. We're all friends here," she replied. She turned to look at me as the words left her mouth. I opted to stay quiet and avoid her searching eyes.

"And this is Hit-Girl right? There is so much controversy on the ship about you," she said, directing the last comment at me.

"Yeah, well-" I was about to let out a string of curses I felt would express how much I thought of most people but I stopped. Her kindly eyes reminded me that my attitude wasn't going to help me this time. Fuck, I was getting too soft. When did I give a shit about being rude?

"I'm aware of my current situation Mrs. Harvey. I'm dealing with the problem with as much tolerance as I can," I told her.

"Which isn't very much," Sasha mumbled. I glared at her.

"Well it isn't!" she persisted.

"Sasha, be nice. Your father could have been in a much worse situation if Hit-Girl had made a different decision. That shows a lot of tolerance. Especially if it's your father," she reprimanded.

"He asks for it. Him and his no good friends," Sasha grumbled quietly. No one said anything to that so I assumed they didn't hear or didn't want to encourage her.

"I'll try and keep Bill in a more…positive outlook about you," she said to me.

"No, it's ok Mrs. Harvey. He doesn't want to change and I can't make him. Even though I want to," I mumbled the last part so no one could hear.

"We should get out of your hair Jane. We just wanted to come by to say hi," Kick-Ass said.

"No problem, you can come by whenever you want. Sasha tells me so much about you two. I'm glad she put her trust in such courageous and good hearted people," she told us sincerely. I couldn't help but think how wrong she was about me. I was never good hearted but I knew what was right and just; even if that choice involved killing someone to achieve it. We said our goodbyes and Sasha hugged her mother before we left. While we walked back I turned to her.

"Why did you have us meet your mother?" I asked curiously.

"She wanted to meet you, I thought it was a good idea, and I wanted you to see that there are still people who trust you besides me," she replied with a straight forward air. I stared at her with a half-smile of gratitude.

"Not bad kid," I replied, patting her shoulder. Dave beamed next to me.


	18. Chapter 18

**I love action scenes, don't you? As always, hope this provides some form of entertainment. I know every story I read does.**

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><p>I sat out on the rail; my favorite spot and the same spot I shared with Sasha not too long ago, so it was no surprise when I heard her walking towards me from behind. The day was over and the night's bright moon shone down on both of us. It must have been fucking freezing because Sasha was shivering and her teeth chattered despite the thick jacket she had on. I smiled knowingly and cleared my throat.<p>

"I know you're there," I said. I heard her gasp and I laughed.

"Come here," I told her. She walked forward again and stopped to lean on the rail.

"I felt like having some time to myself for a while. Dave already went to sleep so I came out here," I explained.

"Did you want me to leave?" she asked quietly. She sounded so calm; unlike her usual energetic attitude. I let silence pass between us while I thought about her question.

"No, you can stay," I replied. She smiled uncertainly and turned to look out to the sea. I stared at the land not too far away and wondered if life was going to go back to how it was; if civilization itself would return to normal. I would make it return. I looked down and then back up and realized that we were getting closer to land.

"What the fuck is going on?" I whispered. Sasha looked up at me with an expression of confusion. I heard a sharp screech and knew in a split second the danger we were in. I jumped from the rail and snatched Sasha away from it too.

"Get back to your parents! Warn anyone on the way! The rogues are on board," I said to her. She nodded hurriedly and turned to run but a rogue jumped the rail to block her. She screamed in surprise and skid to a stop. The monster was soaking wet and pale as death with eyes far closer to a hungry shark than mine. Its hands curled into deadly claws at its side. I snarled and launched at it. I didn't want to scare Sasha but I had to defend her. I easily ripped into its throat and tore. She stood frozen where she stopped.

"Faster Sasha, run! I've got your back!" I yelled to her. She took off for her room with me close behind her. I had to knock away three more rogues on the way but she got back safe. Her father looked worried but didn't say anything. Her mother rushed forward to pull her into a hug.

"Thank you," she said to me. I just smiled and nodded.

"Stay here ok? Lock all entrances. If you have any weapons, keep them handy," I said with a glance at her father.

"Whatever you do, don't come out until Kick-Ass or I tell you to," I warned them. I turned to dart back into the chaos but Sasha grabbed my arm. I looked at her worried expression.

"Be careful," she said. I nodded and she let me go. I rushed back to my room to look for Dave but he came running towards me anyway.

"What happened?" I exclaimed.

"The captain…the captain fell asleep," he panted out of breath. I growled angrily.

"That fucking douche, I'll scare the shit out of him!" I yelled.

"Do that later, we need to help the patrol with this infestation," he told me sternly.

"Right, let's go," I replied. We split up and divided the job. Kick-Ass focused on getting innocents to safety and fighting if needed on the way. I focused on killing any rogues in my way. Together, we effectively kept mostly everyone safe. I found one man dead, another with a bite wound, and a few injured but without bites. I stood over the man with the bite wound and took a deep breath before reaching out and quickly snapping his neck.

I spotted a rogue running to my right and jumped to my feet. It was chasing a woman who I recognized as a newbie from the group we recently picked up. The same one I had helped from falling. I rolled my eyes. The rogue pounced on her at that moment. I dug my claws into and across its back to get its attention. It howled and turned to snarl at me. I roared in its face and it flinched away. It glanced at the rail close by but I blocked its escape.

"What now?" I taunted with a deep growl. Its eyes glared hatefully at me before jumping forward. I caught it midflight, broke its legs, and then threw it far off the boat. It hit the waves below with a loud smack, struggled, and then furiously paddled for shore; sinking every now and again without the help of its legs. I took some deep breaths to calm myself before turning to the woman and offering her a hand up. She shook from fright. I sighed and hauled her up anyway.

"Get inside and arm yourself. I have to see if there are anymore," I told her. She stared blankly so I pushed her in the direction of the rooms. She stumbled forward before taking off. I ran back to the main deck and looked around before checking the smaller areas inside and in the cargo hold. I came back on deck and spotted Dave.

"Hey, I haven't found anything else. I think the situation is under control," I told him. He nodded as he panted.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. This is all just dinner and a show for me," I joked with smirk. He stood up straight and smiled. A woman screamed suddenly and I was back on guard. There wasn't a threat besides the woman herself. She came at me with her hands raised and attempted to strike me. Kick-Ass was too taken aback to react so I was on my own. She hit me repeatedly and I just tried to block her.

"What's your problem you crazy bitch?" I shouted.

"You killed him! I saw you kill him! He told me to hide when that monster came. He survived but you killed him!" she shrieked. I bared my teeth and grabbed her arms to push her away.

"What the fuck are you screaming about?" I demanded.

"My husband was alive when you snapped his neck!" she accused.

"He would have changed, he wouldn't even be himself!" I yelled back.

"We deal with **you**!" she retorted.

"He won't be like me! He'll be like them; an animal with no control!" I argued.

"Well, look at you!" she accused as she pointed at me. I snarled at her and clenched my fists tightly. Kick-Ass stepped forward to intervene but at that moment a hulking mass tore the woman from the spot she had been standing at. It slammed her on the ground and continued to tear right into her.

"Hey you ugly fuck, I'm over here!" I yelled at it. It turned with an arm in its mouth. I could tell this thing used to be a very big and muscled man before he was turned into this undead monstrosity but I wasn't fazed. If needed I would be just as merciless. Kick-Ass raised his blades but I pushed him back.

"Keep the others safe. I'll be ok," I told him. He nodded once and ran to do what I said. I turned back to the huge creature with a smirk. It curled its lips back and bared its fangs. It charged forward and I jumped lithely out of the way. I landed into a roll which propped me on my hands and feet at the end. I stayed crouched down, waiting for it to attack again. It skidded to a quick stop and then came for me again. It galloped on its hands and feet like a speeding rhino.

"A little closer ugly," I muttered. Right when it was close I leaped high into the air, flipped, and landed on its back. My claws dug into the shoulders and pulled. It careened sideways and fell. I latched my hands around its neck and prepared to twist but its own giant hand reached up to grab me by the back of my suit. It yanked me away and threw me toward the rail. I reached out and caught myself before falling over. Right when my feet hit the deck, it stomped over and threw a punch which slammed into my face and made me tumble back. I felt the rail hit me harshly from behind and bend.

"You think you have easy food don't you? Well guess what, you are sorely mistaken," I snarled. I darted forward and swung out, cutting into it and dodging attacks swiftly. It roared in fury and I sneered.

"Can't get me can you?" I scoffed. I jumped over its latest swing and climbed on it shoulder. I locked my hands around the neck once more but I lost my hold again. The monster started running suddenly and slammed me into a wall which dented and crushed me under its weight. I fell to the floor, temporarily dazed. I stood just for the ground to be swiped out from under me. I fell on my back and the monster slammed a claw on my neck. Its grip tightened as it hauled me off the floor and held me at eye level. With a quick toss and a roar I was thrown on deck harshly before being picked up again and tossed off the ship entirely. I sailed through the misty air, far from the ship, and then finally hit the cold, black, water.

"I won't be gotten rid of that easy," I growled once I reached the surface. I paddled vigorously back to the ship; ready to do some real damage.


	19. Chapter 19

**Ok, another chapter done and a few more on the way.**

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><p>I climbed back on board to see the deck in ruins. Most of the stronger part of the patrol, plus Kick-Ass, was fighting the monster back. Fuck me, I had to do something. I smelled more spilled blood on the wind that blew past. I inhaled and let my mind wander. The primal side was at attention. I jumped over the rail and ran towards the group of men.<p>

"Move!" I shouted at them. They all stopped to look at me before scattering. I jumped on the back of the monster and bit into its neck. It roared and tried to claw me off but I held on. It swayed suddenly. Now was my chance. I released my hold and replaced it with my claws. I dug in and twisted. The body collapsed under me but I wasn't done. I worked without mercy to tear the head clean off. I filled my mouth with the blood that followed. When I was done, I sat on its chest panting heavily before climbing to my feet and jumping off. My mind kept swerving in and out of clarity. With panic, I knew what was going to happen.

"I told the others to clean themselves up and stay on the alert until morning. We should be in the clear now. Maybe we should…um, Mindy are you ok?" he stopped to ask. He moved toward me to put a hand on my shoulder.

"Get away," I snarled at him, smacking his hand away. He gasped and grabbed a hold of me instead. I fought back but I didn't hurt him so I didn't try as hard. He practically dragged me to the rail. The monster in me craved a fulfilling meal, not like those half assed portions from the rogues. Right when Kick-Ass had me near the rails, I pushed him away roughly. He stumbled and caught himself but I had him pinned down in a second.

"I've got your back!" a voice called out. A young girl's voice, my rational thought allowed through the roiling commands of bloodlust.

"Stay back!" the human under me yelled. I held him down by the throat to silence him and turned to see a young girl running at me. I had to stop her before she interrupted my chance to kill my prey. I pushed myself to my feet and darted towards her. I held my claws at the ready and my eyes were locked on her fear filled gaze. I pounced; but right when she was moments from my grasp, a large force tackled me into a different direction. I was slammed against the floor and restrained momentarily. The girl ran to the young man I almost had and helped him up.

"I knew I couldn't trust you!" the large, man holding me down spit at me. I growled threateningly, waiting for the right moment.

"She can't help it! She risked her health for us and all we give in return is hate and non-nutritional substitutes!" the young girl shouted.

"What do you want to give; ourselves? We should just dump her on land and leave her there," the big man disagreed.

"She wouldn't have gotten this way if-" the girl began but the young man spoke up.

"Will everyone just please shut up! This isn't getting us anywhere. We need to-" he proposed but another taller and equally young male cut in.

"What we need to do is stake her and put her out of her misery that's what. Here, I have one. If you care you would do it," he suggested to the young man in green. The large man yanked me up with my arms pulled tight behind me. I growled but a swift punch to my side silenced me. He pushed me forward but I tried to fight back. Lack of suitable blood had irritating side-affects. I wasn't strong enough yet to break free. I almost succeeded, but the young tall man shoved a pointy object into the green clad man's hand and rushed to further subdue me. I roared and struggled but it did no good.

"She's your partner so you do it. Put her out of her misery," the big man said. I had no idea what was going on until the green clad young man walked forward holding the pointed object at the ready. Only then did I realize it was a stake. The young girl looked panicked like she didn't know what to do. What a stupid human. When the stake got closer I hissed angrily. I still couldn't escape. His hand shook uncontrollably as he held the stake high. His face was twisted into the saddest expression I had ever seen even though it was covered. He stood frozen like that for a little longer before letting out a breath and dropping his hand.

"What are you doing!" the other young man demanded.

"I can't do it. I won't kill her," the green clad young man replied. The girl looked relieved. The tall young man scoffed and snatched the stake from him.

"Fine I'll do it," he said as he stomped over to me. Everything happened fast from there. He lifted the stake, the green clad young man screamed and tried to stop him, but was punched in the gut. The girl ran forward to help but the big male released me to stop her. I tried to run the minute he let go but in all the commotion, the stake had already cut through the air and struck me in the heart. Pain lanced through my body and seared my nerves.

I clutched at the stake buried deep in my chest and winced before falling to the floor. I heard the girl scream and cry hysterically and the large man try to console her. I heard the green clad young man scream in what sounded like intense despair. He must have fought past the tall young man because he was suddenly at my side looking down at me. He reached out to touch my face and when he did I felt warmth before slipping into unfeeling darkness.

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><p>This fucking ship keeps moving too damn much. I was trying to sleep but I couldn't. It was then that I bolted up in a panic. Wait, I didn't need to sleep. My body ached painfully and I curled up on my side. What happened after I killed that beast of a rogue? I remember feeling intense hunger and then everything after was a blank. Where was Dave? Was he ok? Did I do something? Worry began to gnaw at me.<p>

The door flew open at that moment and I instinctually scrambled from the bed. A quick check of my surroundings told me I was in the medical ward. My chest ached again and the agony of it made me fall against the wall and slide down to sit on the floor. Sasha peeked in, saw me, her eyes widened, and then she darted back out. Dave came rushing in with Sasha behind him. He kneeled in front of me and softly took my hand in his.

"Mindy? Mindy can you hear me? Are you ok?" he asked desperately. His eyes were glassy and puffy like he had been crying. Sasha looked the same. What had I done that made Dave look so torn up? The two people I cared about the most were here so I was relieved I didn't hurt them.

"Mindy?" Sasha addressed me nervously. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the throbbing pain before opening them again and answering.

"My body hurts so much," I said in a gravelly, morose tone. How long have I been out? I must have looked confused because Dave explained.

"Your hunger spiked into a…uncontrollable state. I wanted to stop you in the safest way possible but Jason had other plans," he told me quietly. I closed my eyes and fought back a frustrated snarl. How could I put the lives of so many people in danger?

"If I was unable to be contained you should have killed me," I responded grimly. He frowned and shook his head with a sigh.

"That's what Jason tried to do," he replied. For a while now I had been avoiding their eyes but when I heard that piece of information I looked at Dave and then Sasha. She nodded a confirmation.

"Jason, my father's friend, had shown up to help and well, he almost killed you," she explained.

"What happened?" I asked them. They stayed quiet until Dave chose to answer.

"You tried attacking me but Sasha distracted you enough to change your mind and get her. Her father arrived in time to stop you. He wanted to throw you off the ship," Dave said.

"Why didn't he just do it?" I questioned.

"He was about to but that's when Jason stepped in. He wanted Dave to…you know, at first but when Dave couldn't, he did," Sasha answered. I put my hand over my heart and winced. The pain seemed to be branching from there. Every nerve in my body felt like it was burning.

"But if he did shouldn't I be dead?" I wondered out loud.

"I think you survived because it's part of the new abilities you have now. The stake only paralyzed you," Dave suggested. And gave me annoying ass pain waves through my whole fucking body, I finished as a thought.

"Dave couldn't kill you and when he thought someone else did, he jumped into action. He pulled out the stake and almost bled himself dry for you. We had to stop him before he hurt himself. He spent some time in here regaining his strength. I'm just glad no one else was around when it all happened," Sasha stated. I looked at Dave and smiled in gratitude. He smiled back softly. Now that I looked at him, he was a bit pale.

We sat on the floor by the bed, silently enjoying one another's company. The nurse came in not too long later and released me. I had been out for several days. The first thing I did when I stood was pull them both into a hug. They each put an arm around me too. We left the hospital together and walked up on deck. It was morning.

"Come by our room after you get something to eat ok?" Dave said to Sasha. She nodded and jogged off. Dave turned to me and took my hand. Then he led me back to our room.


	20. Chapter 20

**So, this is finally coming to a close but there is still one last chapter. Despite my style of being rushed I still think the end came out pretty good but that's just me. Enjoy everyone and review cuz I _love_ reviews!**

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><p>I spread out on our bed, desperate to make the slow, throbbing, pain go away. I had immediately sought comfort in the bed the minute the door closed. Dave sat at the desk and watched me like a hawk.<p>

"I'm not going to spontaneously combust or I would have already. I feel like I might though," I told him. His gaze never wavered when he replied.

"I'm just so glad you haven't," he said. I sighed and turned on my side.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"My body must still be healing because it feels like I'm on fire. It fucking hurts," I answered with an irritated sigh. He stood and climbed on the bed next to me. By now I had rolled onto my stomach. His hands gently kneaded the muscles at my shoulder and then made his way down my back. I closed my eyes and relaxed the best I could.

"Why didn't you kill me Dave? I was a danger to everyone. Hell, I still am," I questioned him.

"I couldn't imagine a life without you. I love you too much Mindy," he replied contentedly.

"I love you too dumbass," I replied. He chuckled.

"Do you feel better now?" he asked when he pulled away. I rolled onto my back and nodded.

"I feel a little more relaxed, thank you," I answered.

"No problem," he responded. He leaned in to kiss me softly. His scent was clouding my senses before he pulled away and I could think properly again.

"So did you really do all that for me?" I questioned, dodging around the fact that he almost died to save me.

"Yes, I had to. To me it wasn't a sacrifice, just something I had to do," he said sincerely.

"Don't forget beating the shit out of Jason and giving my father an earful," Sasha said as she barged into the room.

"Hey, language," Dave reprimanded her. Sasha and I rolled our eyes.

"What's up?" I asked her. She smiled and stopped to stand next to my side of the bed.

"I'm fine, it's you I'm worried about," she answered honestly.

"You worry about me? Aw, how sentimental," I teased with a smirk. She punched my shoulder. I held it and grimaced with fake pain.

"So how is everyone else taking this?" I asked them.

"No one knows besides us, my father, and his friend Jason. Other than that your pretty much going to be viewed how you always have," Sasha said with a shrug.

"Besides that lady I scared the shit out of," I commented nonchalantly.

"What lady?" Dave questioned curiously.

"Yeah, remember the klutz I saved from falling the day we returned with more people? She was almost attacked by a rogue and I tossed it off the boat right in front of her," I explained.

"Maybe she'll believe you when you say you want to help," Dave suggested.

"Yeah, or scream and run in terror at what you're capable of," Sasha pointed out.

"You aren't helping anything," Dave reminded her. She shrugged.

"It's true but I don't see why people can't see pass the brutality. The rogues want us for food so it really doesn't matter how we kill them so long as we aren't eaten. They think you're like them based on nothing but prejudice," Sasha complained.

"They will never see me as anything different so why try?" I said as I sat up and climbed off the bed. I stretched until my back cracked then I turned to Dave.

"Did you happen to fix up my suit?" I asked, ignoring the new throbs of pain from movement. He nodded and got up to fish it out of the wardrobe.

"I took the liberty of cleaning and patching it up while you were out and I was finally on my feet," he said. He handed it to me in a neat folded pile along with my mask and gloves on top.

"I'm in need of a quick shower and then I want to continue the hunt for more rogues," I told him while I walked to the bathroom.

"I can't believe you are already up and rearing to go, but then again, it **is** you so I'll grab my suit so we can go," he replied. While getting ready for the shower, I heard Dave tell Sasha to meet us by the boats. She agreed and left. I jumped in the shower, washed, and got out. I threw on my suit and walked out minus my gloves and mask. I held them instead. Dave stood leaning over the map again with only his pants on. His suit lay draped on the bed. His mask sat on the desk next to the map. A large scar marred the skin of his right arm and a bandage covered his left. I walked over to place a hand on it. He turned to smile lovingly.

"Do you think things could go back to the way they were?" I wondered.

"No, but we can get pretty damn close," he replied. I laughed. I turned to pace the room while he got ready. When I stopped to face him he was all suited up.

"I was thinking…maybe I should train Sasha," I threw out. He froze. I could see the wheels in his head turning. I was relieved when he smiled.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. Then she could be with us as long as she wants and I'll feel better about her safety once she knows how to defend herself," he responded agreeably.

"I'm glad we agree, now let's go kick some rogue ass while I still feel like it," I stated. I put on my mask, pulled on my gloves, and laced up my boots. Dave pulled on his mask and boots. We went straight to the boats where Sasha stood waiting for us.

"Let Dave handle lowering the boat. I want to tell you something," I addressed her sternly. She nodded and walked over to me while Dave headed over to the boat. I pulled her close and turned us away from anyone who might pass.

"I've been thinking that maybe I should train you. I mean I trained Kick-Ass and he's doing well right? How hard can it be to train you?" I said. She laughed but her eyes were focused.

"Thank you HG," she said gratefully.

"You know I hate all this emotional crap but I worry you could get hurt too even if I don't show it. If I train you I won't have to worry because you will be with me or Dave and you'll know how to fight," I suggested. A huge grin lit up her face.

"You really mean it?" she asked with suppressed glee. I groaned but nodded. She squealed and jumped but quickly stood straight, tall, and serious.

"I'll work as hard as possible. I won't let you down," she stated.

"I think we finally have a sidekick," I commented playfully to Kick-Ass. He chuckled.

"Hey!" Sasha said with hands on her hips. I patted her back and smiled.

"We'll be back kid. There's some unfinished business for us out there. When I get back we can start. It's really all up to you how the schedule goes. I have forever, remember?" I told her. She nodded and ran off. Dave and I set off for shore once again in hopes of finding a few more survivors and killing any rogues as well. We came back with ten more people who had been cured and hid from the rogues long enough for us to find them. Sasha and I trained every other day. Dave helped once in a while. I loved using him as a guinea pig to test moves on. There were some things dummies just couldn't demonstrate. Dave and Sasha always ate afterwards and then we moved on to whatever task we needed to finish.

When I heard we had to make a trip to the captain's room, I smirked. Dave looked at me uncertainly but I didn't care. That ass was going to get the shit scared out of him. I succeeded naturally. I jumped him when he wasn't looking. I easily held him by the neck and pinned him against the wall. With no more than a growl and fangs bared, he turned into a big baby. When I let him go and Kick-Ass came in to reprimand me, the captain caught on to my little prank. Sure he was pissed, but he was too afraid to say anything too fury induced. Routine tended to sweep us up again once everyone accepted my change and started treating me somewhat normal.

Some people like Bill and Jason still kept their distance but I didn't give a shit. I visited with Sasha and her mother with Dave sometimes tagging along. It got to the point where I was comfortable visiting without my mask. It was always my comforting reminder that I was hidden from view but with them I didn't need it. Soon I felt that I preferred to visit without it. It was the only time besides being in my room that I didn't wear it. At the pace I worked to kill off all those rogues, I hoped we could all move back on land and get things running again. In a few years, hell, maybe less with the way Sasha was burning through my training sessions, she could join us during our patrols. Damn, it felt so good to be on a patrol again. With Dave and Sasha, I felt like I could fix the whole damn world if I wanted to but right now, I would start with this city.


	21. Epilogue

**So, this is the end. Hope you liked it. The story may be done but I still love hearing from you readers.**

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><p>It's been eight years and things aren't fixed but have gotten way better. Kick-Ass and I spent many years shaping our city back to the way it used to be. The population began to rise slowly after the rouge population went down. Sasha and her family stayed close to where Kick-Ass and I set up our base. She did end up joining us and was a great addition to all the challenges we had to accomplish. As time passed I didn't really realize the huge changes in Dave until he began to look noticeably older. We never drifted apart but despite his age he was still the same Dave. It was hard for both of us to accept but Dave was adamant in his decision to stay human. I respected his choice even though it killed me inside to know he would be gone someday. I kept myself busy to forget this piece of reality and continued to do what I knew best.<p>

I had to finish our goal with our without him. My thoughts returned to the present as I ran down the still cracked street of our neighborhood with Nightfall by my side. We had just gotten back from raiding an old building for rogues. There weren't as many as before, but along with anyone else causing trouble, we also took care of any rogues that still survived. It would be a difficult task eliminating them all if they continued to bite people. We were now on our way to the base which doubled as our home and where Dave waited for us. He told us not to stay out long because he had a surprise. Nightfall slowed to a stop and I skid to a stop to double back.

"You tired?" I asked. She smirked but nodded anyways.

"Unlike you, I have limited energy," she huffed out. I didn't blame her. We practically ran across the city and back tonight. Including all the fights we were in. I remembered the times when I was always low on energy but with the help of donations, grudgingly supplied at first but now happy to volunteer, I was in way better shape. I was always a tough fighter though. Even when I was young I didn't stop fighting even if I was the one losing. Nightfall straightened up soon and gestured for us to continue. I started forward in a slow jog. While we ran, my mind raced through the years. Once Sasha completed all I had to teach her, she chose a name and a costume. Nightfall, referring to the time of day my kind liked to dwell in, while her colors were black and blue.

Her suit was more tightfitting than mine but also lacked a cape. Her suit had blue across the tops of her arms and shoulders. It made a point at her chest but continued down the middle of her back. She specialized in swords, because like Dave, she wouldn't handle a gun even if we managed to find a properly working one. I was excited by the prospect of needing one again but she wasn't. Her knife skills were impressive and she knew how to use a staff somewhat. Her mask was a skinnier version of my own but unlike me, she let her hair down to her shoulders while I kept mine tied back and died purple.

I told her that even though I still liked to, it wasn't necessary for her to suit up but she refused to listen. At twenty years old, she was so fucking stubborn. She rarely listened but she had a strong sense of right and wrong so I usually let her make choices freely. Her parents had been killed a month after her eighteenth birthday from two starving rogues. We were nowhere near enough to save them and hadn't known. We found them broken in the street. After that she came to live with me and Dave. It made patrol easier, while training became smoother. She threw herself heart and soul into training so that the grief wouldn't catch up to her but I knew how she felt.

"What do you think he has planned?" she questioned me. I shrugged.

"You know Dave. The world could be ending or in our case rebuilding but he has to wish you a happy birthday anyways," I replied sarcastically.

"It's ok, I never really minded his eagerness," she said.

"I know you don't. Here we go," I responded as we slowed down. I looked up at the tall building that was our base. A handful of volunteers also had rooms here in case we needed extra manpower. Our rooms were at the top. We entered the building and were greeted randomly by passerby's going about their business. We greeted them back.

"I hope we don't look too bad. That rogue you killed rained blood," she muttered self-consciously. I only rolled my eyes. Electricity was hard to maintain as of now so not much was running on it yet. We passed the elevators and turned down a hall where stairs awaited us.

"Shit, can't we just use the elevator," she asked in exasperation.

"No, we need that energy; don't be an old lady," I teased. She tensed.

"I am not. You may be stuck at twenty one but you would still be way older than me right now," she retorted.

"But I'm not," I replied simply, starting up the stairs. She followed me with a glare. When we reached the door to our apartment, I paused.

"You want to do the honors?" I asked, gesturing to the door. She stepped forward and pushed it open. The apartment was quiet and the lights were dim. My senses branched out quickly. I easily pinpointed Dave hiding in the closet Sasha was about to pass but I remained quiet. Right when she was clear of the door, it swung open and Dave had her in a headlock. She reacted quick enough to jab Dave in the ribs with her elbow. While he flinched and loosened his hold, she kicked his feet out from under him and threw him to the floor. She stood with a knife in her hand but relaxed when she saw it was just him.

"Fuck Dave, what the hell?" she said, as she put away the knife to help him up.

"I regret letting you hear Mindy's horrible choice of vocabulary when you were younger," he grumbled. For a man of thirty five, Dave kept training and staying in shape so he still looked good. He told me he thought about retiring but I knew deep down that if he was still needed, he would go.

"Was that the surprise?" Sasha asked as she removed her mask and gloves. I followed her example.

"No, I just wanted to keep you on your toes," he replied. He walked into the kitchen and came back with a cake and a small box. When I saw the box I smiled. Dave and I both agreed on her gift.

"Happy birthday Sasha," Dave and I said together. She grinned.

"Thanks guys," she said appreciatively. Dave presented the box to her. She hesitated but took the box from him and unwrapped it. She froze when it was finally open and then pulled out the polished weapon.

"Is this…" she began.

"Yep, the same thing I got from my father all those years ago when I first met Dave," I spoke up. She flipped the blade around using tricks I had taught her. She added the new addition to her belt and hugged us.

"Thank you, it means a lot," she said as she released us.

"It better, we had to raid that broken down safe house to find it. It was my only one so I was pretty sure I hid it well enough and it turns out I did. I wanted to give it to you on your birthday so I made sure it was in working order and didn't say a word ever since," I told her.

"So how does it feel hitting the big two zero?" Dave asked playfully. She swatted his arm and laughed.

"Sucks because I'll be an old geezer like you soon," she replied. Dave frowned and looked down at himself.

"I'm not that old yet," he muttered. I laughed.

"Had I been aging I would be twenty nine by now. I would almost be thirty. Can you believe how lucky I am? I'll never be an old geezer like Dave," I said, joining in the joke.

"I can't believe I put up with you two," he said.

"You love us too much to get rid of us," I said as I draped an arm over his shoulder the best I could. Sasha nodded.

"I know," he responded. We spent the rest of the night lounging on the couch in our pajamas talking while Dave and Sasha had cake. After words, Sasha wished us goodnight, thanked us again for everything, and left to her room. Dave sighed and sat back on the couch.

"You ok?" I questioned him hesitantly. He looked up at me with sad eyes.

"Dave, don't start. You'll make yourself depressed," I warned him for the millionth time.

"I'll just hate to leave you two alone but it hurts me more leaving you," he stated quietly. I walked over to him and held his hand.

"I'll never forget you, and when it's Sasha's time I won't forget her either," I said sincerely. He smiled sadly.

"Come on, you need your beauty sleep," I said lightly, trying to cheer him up. He chuckled. By the time his snores where the only thing I could hear, I was already out the door. I needed to stop by my good friend Dr. Huston. We met during the first days of settling and my condition fascinated him. I bargained with him in those days. I let him study me if he could get me blood without harming anyone. Our deal slowly turned into friendship. He always came to me if he had a question concerning vampires and I asked him freely for blood. He has helped me by supplying me with donated blood for some time now. I walked into his office and he greeted me.

"Usual?" he asked. I nodded and absentmindedly scanned the room. He left and returned with a box.

"Is that all?" he questioned. I nodded silently.

"I will never know what you're truly going through even though you've told me so much, but I **do** know everything will turn out all right. Don't let this forever thing get to you. Think of it like you will have infinite time to meet new people and make new friends who will always be there to support you. Not to mention help lead us poor drifters until society as we knew it is up and running. We all know you three have done so much for us Mindy," he reminded me. Dr. Huston was the only other person who knew my name besides Sasha and her late parents.

"Yes, I know Doc, don't get mushy on me," I warned lightly. He smiled.

"See you soon," he said as he turned to sit at his desk. I nodded and left the office with the box tucked under my arm. I dropped it off at home and left again to stand in the cemetery. I hadn't come here in a very long time but I felt I owed them. Marcus and Daddy were buried side by side; partners until the very end. When Sasha's parents were found, we buried them nearby. We never had time to bury Dave's father but I knew if we had, he would be here as well.

I sat on a boulder and gazed up at the darkening sky. The stars lit it up like never before when the smog congested the atmosphere. I had been taught by my father to fight and became a hero. Through that occupation, I became a monster. Only with the love of my close friends could I ever see myself as something more. I've helped raise a civilization from the brink of destruction and learned to care for another person when I thought I couldn't. To think it all started with my father's revenge. I shook my head and laughed.

"Thank you daddy; even though your teachings have brought me into a life that sometimes is too hard to bear, I would have never experienced what I have without it and wouldn't change a moment," I said quietly. A breeze blew by, creating different sounds at its passing, and then everything was silent again. I turned away from the spot I knew my family now rested, despite the lack of tombstones, and walked back home. Tomorrow was a new day, and I had to be fed and ready to face it. I wouldn't stop fighting until this world was restored back to its formal glory and I will always have friends and loved ones to help me every step of the way.


	22. Chapter 19 Alt

**So, TorontoBatFan insisted that Dave be changed so that he and Mindy can be together forever. It took me a while to get to it but here it is. Apologies if it didn't turn out the way you hoped TBF but hope you enjoy it. The alternate ending starts at chapter nineteen so these next three chapters will be the alternate nineteen, twenty, and twenty one/Epilogue.**

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><p>I climbed back on board to see the deck in ruins. Most of the stronger part of the patrol, plus Kick-Ass, was fighting the monster back. Fuck me, I had to do something. I smelled more spilled blood on the wind that blew past. I inhaled and let my mind wander. The primal side was at attention. I jumped over the rail and ran towards the group of men.<p>

"Move!" I shouted at them. They all stopped to look at me before scattering. I jumped on the back of the monster and bit into its neck. It roared and tried to claw me off but I held on. It swayed suddenly. Now was my chance. I released my hold and replaced it with my claws. I dug in and twisted. The body collapsed under me but I wasn't done. I worked without mercy to tear the head clean off. I filled my mouth with the blood that followed. When I was done, I sat on its chest panting heavily before climbing to my feet and jumping off. My mind kept swerving in and out of clarity. With panic, I knew what was going to happen.

"I told the others to clean themselves up and stay on the alert until morning. We should be in the clear now. Maybe we should…um, Mindy are you ok?" he stopped to ask. He moved toward me to put a hand on my shoulder.

"Get away," I snarled at him, smacking his hand away. He gasped and grabbed a hold of me instead. I fought back but I didn't want to hurt him so I didn't try as hard. He practically dragged me to the rail. The monster in me craved a fulfilling meal, not like those half assed portions from the rogues. Right when Kick-Ass had me near the rails, I pushed him away roughly. He stumbled and caught himself but I had him pinned down in a second.

"I've got your back!" a voice called out. A young girl's voice, my rational thought allowed through the roiling commands of bloodlust.

"Stay back!" the human under me yelled. I held him down by the throat to silence him and turned to see a young girl running at me. I had to stop her before she interrupted my chance to kill my prey. I pushed myself to my feet and darted towards her. She swung at me halfheartedly and I easily sidestepped. She stumbled and I took the opportunity to knock her off her feet by tripping her. She fell flat on her back. With her out of the way, I turned back to my prey. I held my claws at the ready and my eyes were now locked on the young man's fearful yet determined gaze. I pounced on him and swiped at his neck but his strong hand shot out to grab my arm.

I pulled away and tried again. My claws cut into his shoulder and he flinched. I reached out to incapacitate him but both his hands held me back. We struggled for dominance but I was quickly forcing him back. He let his left hand slip out of my grasp and punch me across the face. I responded with an angry growl. The girl shouted vaguely to someone but all I cared about was getting fed. After a quick struggle; the young man wrestled me to my back. His sturdy hold on my shoulders pressed me into the hard metal floor. He looked up to address someone and I momentarily felt his hold slack.

"I need- shit!" he cursed. I had bitten into his arm while he was busy talking. He lost his hold all together so I easily threw him off me and stood. I saw the girl step back hastily and knew she would be easy to catch. I darted towards her but right when she was moments from my grasp, a large force tackled me into a different direction. I was slammed against the floor and restrained momentarily. The girl ran to the young man crouched on the floor, holding his bloody arm, and helped him up.

"I knew I couldn't trust you!" the large, man holding me down spit at me. I growled threateningly, waiting for the right moment.

"She can't help it! She risked her health for us and all we give in return is hate and non-nutritional substitutes!" the young girl shouted.

"What do you want to give; ourselves? We should just dump her on land and leave her there," the big man disagreed.

"She wouldn't have gotten this way if-" the girl began but the young man spoke up.

"Will everyone just please shut up! This isn't getting us anywhere. We should-" he proposed but another taller and equally young male cut in.

"What we should do is stake her and put her out of her misery that's what. Here, I have one. If you care you would do it," he suggested to the young man in green. The large man yanked me up with my arms pulled tight behind me. I growled but a swift punch to my side silenced me. He pushed me forward while I tried to fight back and failed. Lack of suitable blood had irritating side-affects. I wasn't strong enough yet to break free. I almost succeeded, but the young tall man shoved a pointy object into the green clad man's hand and rushed to further subdue me. I roared and struggled but it did no good.

"She's your partner so you do it. Put her out of her misery," the big man said. I had no idea what was going on until the green clad young man walked forward holding the pointed object at the ready. Only then did I realize it was a stake. The young girl looked panicked like she didn't know what to do. What a stupid human. When the stake got closer I hissed angrily. I still couldn't escape. His hand shook uncontrollably as he held the stake high. His face was twisted into the saddest expression I had ever seen even though it was covered. His eyes never left mine. He stood frozen like that for a little longer before letting out a breath and dropping his hand.

"What are you doing!" the other young man demanded.

"I can't do it. I won't kill her," the green clad young man replied. The girl looked relieved. The tall young man scoffed and snatched the stake from him.

"After what she'd done to you can't kill her? Fine I'll do it," he said as he stomped over to me. Everything happened fast from there. He lifted the stake, the green clad young man screamed and tried to stop him, but was punched in the gut. The girl ran forward to help but the big male released me to stop her. I tried to run the minute he let go but in all the commotion, the stake had already cut through the air and struck me in the heart. Pain lanced through my body and seared my nerves.

I clutched at the stake buried deep in my chest and winced before falling to the floor. I heard the girl scream and cry hysterically and the large man try to console her. I heard the green clad young man scream in what sounded like intense despair. He must have fought past the tall young man because he was suddenly at my side looking down at me. He reached out to touch my face and when he did I felt warmth before slipping into unfeeling darkness.

This fucking ship keeps moving too damn much. I was trying to sleep but I couldn't. It was then that I bolted up in a panic. Wait, I didn't need to sleep. My body ached painfully and I curled up on my side. What happened after I killed that beast of a rogue? I remember feeling intense hunger and then everything after was a blank. Where was Dave? Was he ok? Did I do something? Worry began to gnaw at me.

The door flew open at that moment and I instinctually scrambled from the bed. A quick check of my surroundings told me I was in the medical ward. My chest ached again and the agony of it made me fall against the wall and slide down to sit on the floor. Sasha peeked in, saw me, her eyes widened, and then she darted back out. Dave came rushing in with Sasha behind him. He kneeled in front of me and softly took my hand in his.

"Mindy? Mindy can you hear me? Are you ok?" he asked desperately. His eyes were glassy and puffy like he had been crying. Sasha looked the same. What had I done that made Dave look so torn up? The two people I cared about the most were here so I was relieved I didn't hurt them.

"Mindy?" Sasha addressed me nervously. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the throbbing pain before opening them again and answering.

"My body hurts so much," I said in a gravelly, morose tone. How long have I been out? I must have looked confused because Dave explained.

"Your hunger spiked into a…uncontrollable state. I wanted to stop you in the safest way possible but it didn't go the way I had hoped and Jason had other plans," he told me quietly. I closed my eyes and fought back a frustrated snarl. How could I put the lives of so many people in danger?

"If I was unable to be contained you should have killed me," I responded grimly. He frowned and shook his head with a sigh.

"That's what Jason tried to do," he replied. For a while now I had been avoiding their eyes but when I heard that piece of information I looked at Dave and then Sasha. She nodded a confirmation.

"Jason, my father's friend, had shown up to help and well, he almost killed you," she explained.

"What happened?" I asked them. They stayed quiet until Dave chose to answer.

"You…attacked me, but distractions kept you busy doing anything else. Sasha's father arrived in time to stop you. He wanted to throw you off the ship," Dave said.

"Why didn't he just do it?" I questioned.

"He was about to but that's when Jason stepped in. He wanted Dave to…you know, at first but when Dave couldn't, he did," Sasha answered. I put my hand over my heart and winced. The pain seemed to be branching from there. Every nerve in my body felt like it was burning.

"But if he did shouldn't I be dead?" I wondered out loud.

"I think you survived because it's part of the new abilities you have now. The stake only paralyzed you," Dave suggested. And gave me annoying ass pain waves through my whole fucking body, I finished as a thought.

"Dave couldn't kill you and when he thought someone else did, he jumped into action. He pulled out the stake and almost bled himself dry for you. We had to stop him before he hurt himself. He spent some time in here regaining his strength. I'm just glad no one else was around when it all happened," Sasha stated. I looked at Dave and smiled in gratitude. He smiled back softly. Now that I looked at him, he was a bit pale while his eyes were dark.

We sat on the floor by the bed, silently enjoying one another's company. The nurse came in not too long later and released me. I had been out for several days. The first thing I did when I stood was pull them both into a hug. They each put an arm around me too. We left the hospital together and walked up on deck. It was morning.

"Come by our room after you get something to eat ok?" Dave said to Sasha. She nodded and jogged off. Dave turned to me and took my hand.

"I have something to tell you," he said, before he led me back into our room.


	23. Chapter 20 Alt

I spread out on our bed, desperate to make the slow, throbbing, pain go away. I had immediately sought comfort in the bed the minute the door closed. Dave sat at the desk and watched me like a hawk.

"I'm not going to spontaneously combust or I would have already. I feel like I might though," I told him. His gaze never wavered when he replied.

"I'm just so glad you haven't," he said. I sighed and turned on my side.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"My body must still be healing because it feels like I'm on fire. It fucking hurts," I answered with an irritated sigh. He stood and climbed on the bed next to me. By now I had rolled onto my stomach. His hands gently kneaded the muscles at my shoulder and then made his way down my back. I closed my eyes and relaxed the best I could.

"Why didn't you kill me Dave? I was a danger to everyone. Hell, I still am," I questioned him.

"I couldn't imagine a life without you. I love you too much Mindy," he replied contentedly.

"I love you too dumbass," I replied. He chuckled.

"Do you feel better now?" he asked when he pulled away. I rolled onto my back and nodded.

"I feel a little more relaxed, thank you," I answered.

"No problem," he responded. He leaned in to kiss me softly. His scent was clouding my senses before he pulled away and I could think properly again. I could have sworn I smelled a different scent coming off him but I set the thought aside.

"So did you really do all that for me?" I questioned, dodging around the fact that he almost died to save me.

"Yes, I had to. To me it wasn't a sacrifice, just something I had to do. That and-" he said began sincerely.

"Don't forget beating the shit out of Jason and giving my father an earful," Sasha said as she barged into the room.

"Hey, language," Dave reprimanded her, temporarily forgetting what he wanted to say. Sasha and I rolled our eyes but I was more concerned with what Dave was going to say. He was beginning to look worried for a second.

"What's up?" I asked her. She smiled and stopped to stand next to my side of the bed.

"I'm fine, it's you I'm worried about," she answered honestly.

"You worry about me? Aw, how sentimental," I teased with a smirk. She punched my shoulder. I held it and grimaced with fake pain.

"So how is everyone else taking this?" I asked them.

"No one knows besides us, my father, and his friend Jason. Other than that your pretty much going to be viewed how you always have," Sasha said with a shrug.

"Besides that lady I scared the shit out of," I commented nonchalantly.

"What lady?" Dave questioned curiously.

"Yeah, remember the klutz I saved from falling the day we returned with more people? She was almost attacked by a rogue and I tossed it off the boat right in front of her," I explained.

"Maybe she'll believe you when you say you want to help," Dave suggested.

"Yeah, or scream and run in terror at what you're capable of," Sasha pointed out.

"You aren't helping anything," Dave reminded her. She shrugged.

"It's true but I don't see why people can't see pass the brutality. The rogues want us for food so it really doesn't matter how we kill them so long as we aren't eaten. They think you're like them based on nothing but prejudice," Sasha complained.

"They will never see me as anything different so why try?" I said as I sat up and climbed off the bed. I stretched until my back cracked then I turned to Dave.

"Did you happen to fix up my suit?" I asked, ignoring the new throbs of pain from movement. He nodded and got up to fish it out of the wardrobe.

"I took the liberty of cleaning and patching it up while you were out and I was finally on my feet," he said. He handed it to me in a neat folded pile along with my mask and gloves on top.

"I'm in need of a quick shower and then I want to continue the hunt for more rogues," I told him while I walked to the bathroom.

"I can't believe you are already up and rearing to go, but then again, it **is** you so I'll grab my suit so we can go," he replied. While getting ready for the shower, I heard Dave tell Sasha to meet us by the boats. She agreed and left. I jumped in the shower, washed, and got out. I threw on my suit and walked out minus my gloves and mask. I held them instead. Dave stood leaning over the map again with only his pants on. His suit lay draped on the bed. His mask sat on the desk next to the map. A large scar marred the skin of his right arm and a bandage covered his left. I walked over to place a hand on it. He turned to smile lovingly.

"Do you think things could go back to the way they were?" I wondered.

"No, but we can get pretty damn close," he replied. I laughed. I turned to pace the room while he got ready. When I stopped to face him he was all suited up.

"I was thinking…maybe I should train Sasha," I threw out. He froze. I could see the wheels in his head turning. I was relieved when he smiled.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. Then she could be with us as long as she wants and I'll feel better about her safety once she knows how to defend herself," he responded agreeably.

"I'm glad we agree, now let's go kick some rogue ass while I still feel like it," I stated. I put on my mask, pulled on my gloves, and laced up my boots. Dave pulled on his mask and boots but stopped me at the door.

"I don't want you to worry but…" he started nervously. I raised a questioning eyebrow and waited for him to continue. It took him a while to start again.

"When I tried to fight you, you managed to bite me. Would that have any effect on me any time soon or what?" he asked. I could tell he was nervous even though he tried not to show it. I on the other hand was shocked and angry.

"And you didn't bother to tell me before? Dave, I hurt you. I swore I would never do it and I did. You'll be exactly what we tried to stop. I didn't give a shit when it was just me but you deserve your life," I growled out. My hands clenched as my anger over failure rose. Dave rushed to calm me down. He pulled me into a hug and told me to relax.

"Mindy, I may soon change but maybe if you look at the positives it won't be so bad," he suggested.

"Like what?" I mumbled against him, now calm enough to listen without getting angry again.

"I'll always be with you no matter what; however long it takes and more. I'll be there to get you through the years," he told me. I took in what he had to say and the meaning of an eternity with Dave by my side. No more worrying about when he would die or getting severely wounded in battle. Half my worries melted away at his words. But there was one question left on my mind.

"You don't regret this happening do you? I know it must not be the best thing to happen to you," I pointed out. He looked down at me and shrugged.

"I'll tell you the truth. I'm scared of what the condition entails but I'm beyond happy that you will always be there to help me through everything," he replied. I nodded in understanding and held him close a little longer. The strange scent suddenly made sense; it was that other part of him slowly poisoning his system.

"Let's get going. We have forever to talk about this right?" he said, trying to lighten the mood. I stepped away from him and nodded. Our conversation echoed in my mind but I only allowed it to bother me for a short moment. Now, I would only think of what positives it would bring. We left the room and went straight to the boats where Sasha stood waiting for us.

"Let Dave handle lowering the boat. I want to tell you something," I addressed her sternly. She nodded and walked over to me while Dave headed over to the boat. I pulled her close and turned us away from anyone who might pass.

"I've been thinking that maybe I should train you. I mean I trained Kick-Ass and he's doing well right? How hard can it be to train you?" I said. She laughed but her eyes were focused.

"Thank you HG," she said gratefully.

"You know I hate all this emotional crap but I worry you could get hurt too even if I don't show it. If I train you I won't have to worry because you will be with me or Dave and you'll know how to fight," I suggested. A huge grin lit up her face.

"You really mean it?" she asked with suppressed glee. I groaned but nodded. She squealed and jumped but quickly stood straight, tall, and serious.

"I'll work as hard as possible. I won't let you down," she stated.

"I think we finally have a sidekick," I commented playfully to Kick-Ass. He chuckled.

"Hey!" Sasha said with hands on her hips. I patted her back and smiled.

"We'll be back kid. There's some unfinished business for us out there. When I get back we can start. It's really all up to you how the schedule goes. I have forever, remember?" I told her. She nodded and ran off. Dave and I set off for shore once again in hopes of finding a few more survivors and killing any rogues as well. We came back with ten more people who had been cured and hid from the rogues long enough for us to find them. Sasha and I trained every other day. Dave helped once in a while. Once his change was complete he was almost my equal again. I loved using him as a guinea pig to test moves on. There were some things dummies just couldn't demonstrate. It helped demonstrate exactly what the rouges were capable of. Sasha always ate afterwards and then we moved on to whatever task we needed to finish.

Fighting Dave was the same as before and he did a good job of hiding his condition. He didn't want everyone to panic too soon. He said he would tell them eventually, but only when they trusted me more. Only then will they understand and trust him too. Our patrols now started with me staking out the area during the day and then when night came around Dave joined me. To make up for his disappearances in the day he told me to tell anyone who asked that he wanted me in charge so that people could get to know me. It would raise trust that way too. Sasha was told to say the same if anyone asked.

When I heard we had to make a trip to the captain's room, I smirked. Dave looked at me uncertainly but I didn't care. That ass was going to get the shit scared out of him. I succeeded naturally. I jumped him when he wasn't looking. I easily held him by the neck and pinned him against the wall. With no more than a growl and fangs bared, he turned into a big baby. When I let him go and Kick-Ass came in to reprimand me, the captain caught on to my little prank. Sure he was pissed, but he was too afraid to say anything too fury induced. Routine tended to sweep us up again once everyone accepted that I was now leader and started began treating me somewhat normal.

Some people like Bill and Jason still kept their distance but I didn't give a shit. I was going to enjoy the surprise those assholes got when they find out about Dave. I visited Sasha and her mother with Dave sometimes tagging along at night. It got to the point where I was comfortable visiting without my mask. It was always my comforting reminder that I was hidden from view but with them I didn't need it. Soon I felt that I preferred to visit without it. It was the only time besides being in my room that I didn't wear it. At the pace I worked to kill off all those rogues, I hoped we could all move back on land and get things running again. In a few years, hell, maybe less with the way Sasha was burning through my training sessions, she could join us during our patrols. Damn, it felt so good to be on a patrol again. With Dave and Sasha, I felt like I could fix the whole damn world if I wanted to but right now, I would start with this city.


	24. Epilogue Alt

It's been eight years and things aren't fixed but have gotten way better. Kick-Ass and I spent many years shaping our city back to the way it used to be. The population began to rise slowly after the rouge population went down. Sasha and her family stayed close to where Kick-Ass and I set up our base. She did end up joining us and was a great addition to all the challenges we had to accomplish. As time passed I didn't really realize but Sasha was looking older. I knew that she wouldn't always be with us at one point but the little brat I knew was already such a comfort that I didn't want to see her go. It was hard for both of us to accept but Sasha was adamant in her decision to stay human. I respected her choice even though it killed me inside to know she would be gone someday.

I kept myself busy to forget this piece of reality and continued to do what I knew best. I had to finish our goal with our without her. My thoughts returned to the present as I ran down the still cracked street of our neighborhood with Nightfall by my side. We had just gotten back from raiding an old building for rogues. There weren't as many as before, but along with anyone else causing trouble, we also took care of any rogues that still survived. It would be a difficult task eliminating them all if they continued to bite people. We were now on our way to the base which doubled as our home. Dave was waiting for us there. He told us not to stay out long because he had a surprise. Nightfall slowed to a stop and I skid to a stop to double back.

"You tired?" I asked. She smirked but nodded anyways.

"Unlike you, I have limited energy," she huffed out. I didn't blame her. We practically ran across the city and back tonight. Including all the fights we were in. I remembered the times when I was always low on energy but with the help of donations, grudgingly supplied at first but now happy to volunteer, I was in way better shape. I was always a tough fighter though. Even when I was young I didn't stop fighting even if I was the one losing. Nightfall straightened up soon and gestured for us to continue. I started forward in a slow jog. While we ran, my mind raced through the years. Once Sasha completed all I had to teach her, she chose a name and a costume. Nightfall, referring to the time of day my kind liked to dwell in, while her colors were black and blue.

Her suit was more tightfitting than mine but also lacked a cape. Her suit had blue across the tops of her arms and shoulders. It made a point at her chest but continued down the middle of her back. She specialized in swords, because like Dave, she wouldn't handle a gun even if we managed to find a properly working one. Even now, he treated his claws and teeth like he treated a gun and rarely if ever used them. He was still the same old Dave. I was the only one excited by the prospect of needing a gun again but she wasn't. Her knife skills were impressive and she knew how to use a staff somewhat. Her mask was a skinnier version of my own but unlike me, she let her hair down to her shoulders while I kept mine tied back and died purple.

I told her that even though I still liked to, it wasn't necessary for her to suit up but she refused to listen. At twenty years old, she was so fucking stubborn. She rarely listened but she had a strong sense of right and wrong so I usually let her make choices freely. Her parents had been killed a month after her eighteenth birthday from two starving rogues. We were nowhere near enough to save them and hadn't known. We found them broken in the street. After that she came to live with me and Dave. It made patrol easier, while training became smoother. She threw herself heart and soul into training so that the grief wouldn't catch up to her but I knew how she felt.

"What do you think he has planned?" she questioned me. I shrugged.

"You know Dave. The world could be ending or in our case rebuilding but he has to wish you a happy birthday anyways," I replied sarcastically.

"It's ok, I never really minded his eagerness," she said.

"I know you don't. Here we go," I responded as we slowed down. I looked up at the tall building that was our base. A handful of volunteers also had rooms here in case we needed extra manpower. Our rooms were at the top. We entered the building and were greeted randomly by passerby's going about their business. We greeted them back.

"I hope we don't look too bad. That rogue you killed rained blood," she muttered self-consciously. I only rolled my eyes. Electricity was hard to maintain as of now so not much was running on it yet. We passed the elevators and turned down a hall where stairs awaited us.

"Shit, can't we just use the elevator," she asked in exasperation.

"No, we need that energy; don't be an old lady," I teased. She tensed.

"I am not. You may be stuck at twenty one but you would still be way older than me right now," she retorted.

"But I'm not," I replied simply, starting up the stairs. She followed me with a glare. When we reached the door to our apartment, I paused.

"You want to do the honors?" I asked, gesturing to the door. She stepped forward and pushed it open. The apartment was quiet and the lights were dim. My senses branched out quickly. I easily pinpointed Dave hiding in the closet Sasha was about to pass but I remained quiet. Right when she was clear of the door, it swung open and Dave had her in a headlock. She reacted quick enough to jab Dave in the ribs with her elbow. I knew he probably didn't feel it but he still loosened his hold, she kicked his feet out from under him and threw him to the floor. She stood with a knife in her hand but relaxed when she saw it was just him.

"Fuck Dave, what the hell?" she said, as she put away the knife to help him up.

"I regret letting you hear Mindy's horrible choice of vocabulary when you were younger," he grumbled. Dave's change locked him in the same age he was eight years ago. When people started to notice it was already at a time when most accepted it without question. He told me he thought a lot about what people thought of him but I was slowly teaching him the art of not giving a flying fuck. We had to do what we had to do regardless of what anyone thought.

"Was that the surprise?" Sasha asked as she removed her mask and gloves. I followed her example.

"No, I just wanted to keep you on your toes," he replied. He walked into the kitchen and came back with a small cake and a smaller box. When I saw the box I smiled. Dave and I both agreed on her gift.

"Happy birthday Sasha," Dave and I said together. She grinned.

"Thanks guys," she said appreciatively. Dave presented the box to her. She hesitated but took the box from him and unwrapped it. She froze when it was finally open and then pulled out the polished weapon.

"Is this…" she began.

"Yep, the same thing I got from my father all those years ago when I first met Dave," I spoke up. She flipped the blade around using tricks I had taught her. She added the new addition to her belt and hugged us.

"Thank you, it means a lot," she said as she released us.

"It better, we had to raid that broken down safe house to find it. It was my only one so I was pretty sure I hid it well enough and it turns out I did. I wanted to give it to you on your birthday so I made sure it was in working order and didn't say a word ever since," I told her.

"So how does it feel hitting the big two zero?" Dave asked playfully. She swatted his arm and laughed.

"Sucks because I'll be an old geezer soon," she replied. Dave laughed.

"Not for some time," he corrected. I laughed.

"Had I been aging I would be twenty nine by now. I would almost be thirty. Can you believe how lucky I am? I'll never be an old geezer like Sasha," I said, joining in the joke.

"Hey!" she complained. I laughed again.

"Relax Sasha, I would have been thirty five," he said.

"Yeah, **would have **being the key word," she replied with a smile.

"I know, but that's not what matters. I love you despite your age," he responded.

"You better," Sasha teased. We all laughed and Dave pulled us into a group hug. We spent the rest of the night lounging on the couch in our pajamas talking while Sasha ate her one person cake. After words, she wished us goodnight, thanked us again for everything, and left to her room. Dave sighed and sat back on the couch.

"You ok?" I questioned him hesitantly. He looked up at me with sad eyes.

"Dave, don't start. You'll make yourself depressed," I warned him for the millionth time; my old guilt resurfacing again. I never wanted Dave to share my fate.

"I'll just hate to see her go some day," he stated quietly. I walked over to him and held his hand.

"We'll never forget her, and whenever we go I'm sure we will find each other again," I said sincerely. He smiled hopefully.

"Come on, we need to pay the doc a visit," I said lightly, trying to cheer him up. He chuckled. We needed to stop by my good friend Dr. Huston. We met during the first days of settling and my condition fascinated him. When he met Dave, he classified him as a common vampire while I was something more. I bargained with him in those days. I let him study me if he could get me blood without harming anyone. Our deal slowly turned into friendship. He always came to me if he had a question concerning vampires and I asked him freely for blood. He has helped us with a supply of donated blood for some time now. We walked into his office and he greeted us.

"Usual?" he asked. I nodded and absentmindedly scanned the room. He left and returned with a box.

"Is that all?" he questioned. I nodded silently.

"I will never know what you're truly going through even though you've told me so much, but I **do** know everything will turn out all right. Don't let this forever thing get to you guys. Think of it like you will have infinite time to meet new people and make new friends who will always be there to support you. Not to mention help lead us poor drifters until society as we knew it is up and running. We all know you three have done so much for humanity," he reminded us. Dr. Huston was the only other person who knew our names besides Sasha and her late parents. I told him as a form of trust and that action helped him trust us too.

"Yes, I know Doc, don't get mushy on me," I warned lightly. He smiled and Dave chuckled.

"See you soon," he said as he turned to sit at his desk. I nodded and left the office with the box tucked under my arm and Dave silently following. We dropped it off at home and left again to stand in the cemetery. I hadn't come here in a very long time but I felt I owed them. Marcus and Daddy were buried side by side; partners until the very end. When Sasha's parents were found, we buried them nearby. We never had time to bury Dave's father but I knew if we had, he would be here as well.

I sat on a boulder and gazed up at the darkening sky while Dave sat quietly next to me. The stars lit it up like never before when the smog congested the atmosphere. I had been taught by my father to fight and became a hero. Through that occupation, I became a monster. Only with the love of my close friends could I ever see myself as something more. I've helped raise a civilization from the brink of destruction and learned to care for another person when I thought I couldn't. To think it all started with my father's revenge. I shook my head and laughed.

"Thank you daddy; even though your teachings have brought me into a life that sometimes is too hard to bear, I would have never experienced what I have without it and wouldn't change a moment," I said quietly. Dave moved to hold my hand. A breeze blew by, creating different sounds at its passing, and then everything was silent again. I turned away from the spot I knew my family now rested, despite the lack of tombstones, and walked back home with Dave. Tomorrow was a new day, and we had to be fed and ready to face it. I wouldn't stop fighting until this world was restored back to its former glory and I will always have friends and loved ones to help me every step of the way.


End file.
